The North Dakota Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night Rally return to UND’s Memorial Union this week

The ‘Clothesline Project’ is a powerful display of T-shirts created by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence; this year marks its 26th year at UND

The North Dakota Clothesline Project returns, starting today (Monday, Oct. 11)  to the University of North Dakota’s Memorial Union.

The powerful display of T-shirts created by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence marks the 26th year the University has hosted the event, and this year’s exhibit will be nearly double the size, said Campus Prevention & Education Specialist Allison Burkman of CVIC at UND.

More than 450 T-shirts — color-coded to signify different types of violence — tell  the victims’ personal stories of survival. It can be a very healing and empowering experience for victims to be able to make a visual tribute to their feelings, Burkman said. And for viewers, “it’s eye-opening.”

The exhibit opens at 1 p.m., today in the Memorial Union’s Ballroom 214. A short program is set for 2:30 p.m. with special speaker Laura Farder, recipient of the 2021 Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship. She will share what the scholarship means to her and how she plans to make her own impact.

Sjodin was a UND student in 2003 when she was abducted from a Grand Forks mall parking lot and murdered. Her death led to the creation of the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Registry.

• CVIC at UND will livestream today’s 2:30 p.m. program via Instagram.
• The North Dakota Clothesline Project runs through 7 p.m., today and continues from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to noon Friday. There is no charge for the event.
• The public also is welcome to attend the Take Back the Night Rally at 7 p.m., Thursday in the Memorial Union, Ballroom 220. That event opens with a 6 p.m. social hour in Ballroom 214. Take Back the Night is a worldwide foundation whose mission is to create safe communities through awareness to end sexual assault, domestic and dating violence.

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