HISTORY

The Clothesline Project began in Hyannis, Massachusetts, in 1990. It was initiated by a member of Cape Cod’s Women’s Defense Agenda, who discovered that while 58,000 soldiers died in the Vietnam War, 51,000 U.S. women were killed by men who professed to love them.

This alarming statistic inspired the women’s group to launch a program aimed at raising awareness about violence against women. Visual artist Rachel Carey-Harper proposed displaying color-coded t-shirts on a clothesline in a public space to draw attention to the issue.

The idea of using a clothesline was a natural fit. Traditionally, laundry was considered women’s work, and in close-knit neighborhoods, women often shared information over backyard fences while hanging their clothes to dry.

The concept was straightforward: each woman could tell her story in her unique way by decorating a shirt with words or artwork. Once completed, she would hang her shirt on the clothesline. This act served multiple purposes. It educated viewers about the issue, provided a healing tool for those who created a shirt—allowing survivors, friends, and family to symbolically leave some of their pain behind—and helped those still suffering in silence realize they were not alone.

https://theclotheslineproject.org/history.htm