15 ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLOTHESLINE PROJECT
IN THE NORTH WEST
Someday every child born into this world will be guaranteed an entire life completely safe from rape, completely safe from incest, completely safe from battering. Someday every child born into this world will be guaranteed an entire life completely safe from sexism, racism and all forms of oppression. Someday every child born into this world will be guaranteed an entire life of respect, dignity and influence. Creating a violence free society is no more radical then the industrial revolution. People changed the world they lived in then, we can do it now; its up to us.
In the Fall of 1990 I began the Clothesline Project with a vision of a multi-colored clothesline telling of pain, promise and survival. One purpose was to help with the healing process as it gives females a safe and nonverbal way to tell their stories. It also helps the healing by contradicting the isolation as women see their shirt hanging next to another. A further purpose is to educate and inform everyone of the devastating effects of this violence. It lets potential perpetrators know the consequences of this action. And it exposes the roots of this violence which is sexism.
For quite a while now a primary focus of my work has been as an anti-racist. The issues are very similar to working on sexism. Everyone wants the problem to be "out there". They want to see the violence expressed on the Clothesline Project as being done by a few bad men. In reality it is the extreme conclusion of a society that conditions us within a cultural context of domination, control and privilege of the few. We are all a part of this system. Its influences how you and I behave often very unconsciously with groups "our" group traditionally oppresses. It effects how (unless we are owning class, able bodied, heterosexual, white, Christian men of the right age) we have internalized the oppression and projected it on each other to our serious disempowerment. An example was recently shared by a friend. She was at her therapists office which had the air conditioning turned up too high and everyone was freezing. 15 professional women agreed that the thermostat should be adjusted. When one of them went to do so they were interrupted by the one male in the office who said no so they all went back to their work in the cold. Or another example is a group of Quakers (known for civil rights and progressive action, who believe that there is that of God in everyone) called the police who came with three cars, sirens going to evict the one identifiable person of color in a community of over 200 people. Then on subsequent Sundays they physically barred the door to worship to her (for the first time in Quaker history to my knowledge), claiming she was disruptive, explicitly telling her that she is not welcome. As a life-long Friend (as well as a Jew) I am appalled and ashamed. As a product of this society I am embarrassed to say I understand.
As earthquakes tear the fabric of the land, so physical violence and the violence of oppression and injustice bring suffering and shred the harmony of inner peace. Ultimately, we all suffer spiritually in immense proportions for it alienates us from the roots of our being. By keeping us apart the violence hides how we are truly powerful. By proclaiming the agony of pain and the joy of healing with programs such as the Clothesline Project, we cut through some of the alienating aspects of this culture. This work makes it possible to weave ourselves into the process of transforming from victim to survivor to thriver, from perpetrator to seeker to ally, from people asleep to the Spirit, the wholeness, the oneness of humanity to full awareness.
Many of us have a dream of a world of peace and harmony. We dream of a world free of the violence and oppression that many people in the world experience continuously. We dream of a world free of violence against mother earth, against her creatures, against every woman, every child, every man. While this might seem an unattainable utopia, if we consider the changes that have occurred in peoples lives in the last 250 years, it is not so far fetched. Creating a violence free society is no more radical than the industrial revolution. In the early 1700's, houses had only a fireplace for heat. The process of canning food, refrigeration or many other tools that have improved the quality (or at least quantity) of our material lives did not exist. Then people with imagination, energy and vision dared to challenge the so called normal way of life even though they were thought of as dreamers, idealists and often as delusional. It is time now for us to challenge what many perceive to be normal. It is our turn here and now to put our strength, imagination, energy and vision to work.
There are people who after seeing a display feel overwhelmed by the pain and acts of hatred they've seen. Yes, the Clothesline Project portrays great suffering. Yet, we need to consider that the pain is balanced with healing and survival. Imagine a balanced world in which female, people of color and all human beings wisdom, vision and energy have equal authority and power. Sometimes I hear that someone is so angry that people can't hear her message. Anger is at times the most appropriate response. Personally, I am furious. Most men contribute to sexism, many women collude with it and I am angry at all of them. We are all living within a racist construct. A single black parent feels unsafe to worship with Quakers because of what is happening with another person of color. This makes me furious. Maybe the solution is not to ignore the anger but to acknowledge it up front, Yes I am angry. I am furious at the sexism and racism that seems inescapable, that disconnects us from the Divine spark in each other.
We do not have the luxury of saying that it is someone else's problem. We can not let ourselves be silenced by fear or apathy. Getting angry is important. It allows us to confront some of the assumptions we have been carrying about equality and gender. But what do we do with this energy? One thing we can do is quietly look within ourselves; see, acknowledge and make amends as we can, then let the anger motivate us to take action.
The Clothesline Project has been described as bearing witness to violence against women. Bearing witness means to be public and visible. It means that with sharpened awareness, we observe something that is evil, vicious, grievously wrong. It means that we do this work even when it is difficult or painful. Our presence makes it impossible for anyone to pretend that we do not exist. As yet another person joins the Clothesline Project movement or works to end violence against women, as another shirt is hung on the line we become more visible, no longer silent, no longer without power, no longer isolated from each other.
This future will be ours. The forces that would make true peace and justice happen are right here right now unfortunately the forces that would prevent this are also among us. It isn't the Rush Limbaughs, Bill O'Riellys who ultimately defeat us, it is actually ourselves. Too often we succumb to the temptation of apathy. We think someone else will do it or our contribution would be too small to matter. But perhaps the biggest thing that gets in our way is how we treat each other. Respecting, supporting and loving the people we like is easy, although even here we sometimes take them for granted. It is much harder to respect, support and love those with whom we disagree or don't get along or don't understand because we have no cultural framework on which to categorize their behavior. However, this respect is essential if we are ever going to succeed. Certainly there are outside forces that want us divided. They encourage competition and distrust. Knowing this we can do something about it if it is contrary to the leadings of our heart. What it would be like if everyone here tonight dedicated an extra two hours a week to create a peaceful and just world.
Although violence hangs like a shroud around the globe, our past has shown that radical social change doesn't start with an intentionally organized and planned mass movement. It begins with individuals, people like you and you and you and me.
Its up to us and
We will no longer be silent. We will no longer be docile. We are the agents of change.
Say this with me: We will no longer be silent. We will no longer be docile. We are the agents of change.
And again: We will no longer be silent. We will no longer be docile. We are the agents of change.
Let's meet each other with love and respect. Let's keep up the struggle for a violence free world. Lets take time to smell the flowers and be thankful for the beauty in the world, for really its not about the pain. There is some higher purpose at work that perhaps is beyond our limited human capacity to understand. Lets imagine a violence free world. And let's walk together into a better tomorrow.
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