Santa Clarita Valley Domestic Violence Center officials are hosting their second annual t-shirt-making event on September 26, and are inviting the community to share their experiences and educate each other about domestic violence.

Survivors of abuse are invited to make their own shirt, which will be provided by the Domestic Violence Center along with art supplies, said Alexandra Hospodar, the Domestic Violence Center program assistant.

“The shirts on the line represent dirty laundry and the feeling of airing out,” said Hospodar. “We want to educate the public about sexual and domestic violence by letting those that have suffered express themselves.”

The event will be held on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 12. p.m. in Suite 202 at the Savia Building, located at 23780 Newhall Ave, Newhall, CA 91321, according to officials.

The shirts are color coded to differentiate which type of abuse the person designing them has suffered, Hospodar said. The individual making the shirt will be allowed to create the design of their choice.

According to Santa Clarita Valley Domestic Violence Center officials,

• Red, pink, and orange are for survivors of rape or sexual assault;
• Yellow or beige represents survivors who were battered or assaulted;
• Blue and green t-shirts represent survivors of incest and sexual abuse;
• Purple or lavender represents women or children attacked because their sexual orientation was misperceived;
• White is for loved ones left behind to honor those who died because of sexual or domestic violence.

On September 30th, the shirts will be displayed at College of the Canyons from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Hospodar said. Those who see them and are domestic violence survivors are invited to make their own shirt to hang with the others.

The Clothesline Project is a program started on Cape Cod, MA, in 1990 to address the issue of violence against women, according to their website. The program is a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt and hanging it on a clothesline to be viewed as a testimony against violence. With the support of many, it has since spread world-wide.

The Santa Clarita Valley Domestic Violence Center can be contacted by phone at: (661) 259-8175 or by clicking here.