It’s that one thing that could’ve happened differently. Someone could’ve said something or at least done something to try and stop it from happening, could’ve at least fought . . . for you. Please say something, witnesses. I have heard countless of stories from my friends and family speaking out from the experiences of sexual assault. At the time, I was shocked that anyone no matter what gender, uses their superiority to take advantage of someone who is vulnerable.

The clothesline project is the creation of an individually designed t-shirt that spreads awareness of sexual assault. The purpose of the shirt is to represent your take on rape awareness and what you would say to those who witness the event, yet stay silent. The shirt that I created at first was tie-dyed and then designed in large bold letters saying “SPEAK.” My reasoning behind using one word is because that is the one word that means so much to victims of rape. Either they were too afraid to speak about it or a witness never spoke about it. I wore my designed shirt out in public, low key seeking a comment or at least a question about why my shirt said speak in large letter and a pair of lips under it.

A woman in her mid 30’s asked me if I had gotten the shirt from a club of some sort. Soon after explaining the meaning behind the shirt she completely agreed to how powerful telling a victim or a witness to speak really is. I believe staying silent is just as bad as being an accomplice of a murder. You’re allowing pain to just grow and never be fought against. Being left in the shame, confusion, and even worthlessness all can build up. Speak witnesses and stay strong girl and boy victims.