The Clothesline Project was started in 1990 by members of the Cape Cod (Massachusetts) Women’s Agenda, after they saw the traveling Viet Nam wall. They were aware that during the Viet Nam war, 58,000 American military personnel were killed. During that same time, 51,000 women were killed in the U.S. by men who supposedly loved them. The Women’s Agenda wanted to create a memorial to bring about an awareness of the women who had been killed, and the enormous amount of violence against them. They started with thirty-one shirts on their line. Since that first display, the Clothesline Project has grown to over 300 national and international Clothesline Projects with an estimated 35,000 shirts. The Clothesline is about all types of violence against women and children – not just domestic violence.

Women often communicated with each other while hanging out their laundry on the clothesline. Tee shirts are chosen for the line to symbolize the airing of “dirty laundry”. The shirts are then hung shoulder to shoulder for public viewing.

The Clothesline Project gives women and children an opportunity to break the silence about violence by creating shirts that give voice to their personal experience, thereby creating a visual impact similar to the Viet Nam Wall, and the AIDS quilt.

The Mission of the Clothesline Project is:

1. To bear witness to the survivors, as well as the victims of the war against women and children,

2. To help with the healing process for those who have lost a loved one, or who are survivors of this violence,

3. To educate, document and raise society’s awareness of the extent of the problem of violence against women and children,

4. To provide a nationwide network of support, encouragement and information for other communities starting their own Clothesline Projects.

The color of the tee shirt is often symbolic, for example we encourage the use of:

White – for women and children who were killed.

Yellow or Beige – for women and children who were battered or assaulted.

Red, Pink or Orange – for women and children who were raped.

Blue or Green – for women and children who were sexually abused as children, or who survived incest.

Purple or Lavender – for women victimized for being lesbian.

Black – for women and children permanently handicapped because of violence, or abused because they are disabled.

These colors are not required and women often use a color that has special significance to them.

The Clothesline supplies tee shirts, paints and all other materials for any woman who wishes to create her shirt.

The Clothesline Project of Tampa Bay is an independent, grass roots, all volunteer organization. It is not aligned with, nor part of any shelter or other organization. The Tampa Bay line has over 1,300 shirts. The Clothesline Project of Tampa Bay is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.