Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Quote of the Day ‘Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.’ - G. K. Chesterton Friday, March 31,2000 W\t (BaiMCOCk Page 7 w The Clothesline Project on Wednesday displayed painted T-shirts along Greene Street. The project was mostly for women, who par ticipated to express their feelings after having survived some form of assault or los ing a loved one because of it An avenue of healing r BY WlLLIESHA LAKIN Staff Writer Five chairs and one woman. Kim Sheffield, coordinator for Tuesday and Wednesday’s Clothes line Project, had never seen keynote speaker Reanae McNeal perform, but she knew what to expect. She wanted USC students to “be touched in their hearts by Re anae’s message,” about the sexual abuse of African-American women across generations. Sheffield hoped McNeal would “create some kind of transformation” as a result of her performance. The standing ovation McNeal re ceived perhaps summed Sheffield’s hopes. ( In coordination with USC’s Sex ual Health Programs and Sexual As sault Services, Clothesline began Tuesday night with a one-woman original performance of “Don’t Speak My Mother’s Name in Vain,” a sto ry of eight women’s struggle with sexual abuse. Clothesline ended with a display of T-shirts on Greene Street por traying the abuse of women on USC’s campus. According to the “Survivor’s Re source Guide” from Sexual Health Programs, each color represented a different type of abuse: white for women who died as a result of vio , lence, yellow for battered or assaulted women, pink for sexually assaulted women, blue for women survivors of incest or child sexual abuse, and purple for women who were violat ed as a result of their sexual orien tation. USC’s Clothesline Project began in 1995, and this year’s project seemed to gain a positive reaction from passers-by. Senior LeShun McGreer was one of several Omega Psi Phi brothers who had a booth promoting their fra ternity near the Clothesline display. “A lot of people took a lot of time to do it (the T-shirts),” McGreer said. “Some people have a hard time ex pressing their feelings.” He said peo ple tend to “keep it all locked in,” and “it’s a good way to get it out.” Senior Arieus Alcide said it was a “very informing event.” Tuesday’s keynote speech did not involve the use of a podium very much, and there were no index cards. After several annoucements from Sheffield and junior Sarah Jones, a Sexual Health Awareness and Rape Education peer adviser, McNeal briefly explained the play. Behind her were five chairs, with props and costumes on each one except the last. Before the play, each audience member was handed a letter begin ning with “Dear Friend.” In it, she gives a brief explanation of the play and her own philosophy. “I welcome you today to think, explore, laugh, cry, dance and sing as you enter the complex but fasci nating world of African-American women who are rape/sexual assault survivors,” McNeal’s letter read. Each character represented a dif ferent generation or era of the abuse of African-American women. Each skit began with a song that repre sented the culture of the time, and each woman emphasized at least one quote that reflected her personality. “I love African-American cul ture,” McNeal said. She required au dience participation, even during one character’s dance to Aretha Franklin’s “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.” The play concluded with a ques tion-and-answer session, where au dience members could ask questions to specific women in the play. Me Neal would be in character for the duration of each question. Questions included how a character’s family and friends dealt with the abuse or even whether they would be able to tell their loved ones. McNeal ended the event by giv ing a brief interpretation of the play, her personal testimony of abuse, and a word for the students in the audi ence to fulfill their dreams no mat ter what. “When people take your dreams, they kill you that way,” McNeal said. •White- ”Here’s Looking to a Brighter Fhture” •Blue- “I was seven and I thought I was strong and I didn’t tell anyone. Now I’m 21 and I still hate sil ver belt buckles.” •Pink- “To see a flower takes time- like to have a friend takes time, (pink flower with sun behind it) •Purple- (painted by a male) “I am Gay I am a Son I am a Brother I am a Person I am Loved I deserve to live without fear.” Symbolism of the Clothesline colors T-shirts are color-coded in order to recognize the uniqueness of each Clothesline participant's violent encounter. The T-shirts allow survivors of violence to express their inner sorrows and tri umphs. •White - for women who have died from violence •Yellow - for women who have been battered or assaulted •Pink - for women who have been sexually assaulted •Blue - for female survivors of incest or child sexual abuse •Purple - for women attacked for their sexual orientation Photos by Amy Goulding Photo Editor Sera Tec can help you earn some fast cash! New honors can earn... $25 First Donation $40 Second Donation Regular donors can earn * $40 per calendar week! 1 Bring I.D. w/ Date of Birth & Social Security Number Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri - 7:30-4:00 • Tues & Thurs - 7:30-5:00 _Now Open Saturdays - 9:00 -1:00_ Campus Notes Four bands to play at Cockstock Cockstock will feature four bands at 3 p.m. today at Intramural Fields D and E: Gran Torino, King Konga, Stones Throw and Simple as That. Environmental racism will be topic of lecture Dr. Robert Bullard, a nationally renowned author, teacher, activist and lecturer, will be at USC at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Russell House Ballroom A. Bullard will be speaking on envi ronmental racism. The event is free. For more information, call 777 7130. Chamber Players will perform The Carolina Chamber Players will perform with the Miro String Quartet at 3 p.m. Sunday at the S.C. State Mu seum's auditorium. The program will feature the music of Mendelssohn, Schubert and a world premiere by Dick Goodwin. Tickets cost $ 10. For more information, call 376-0071. Student Gamecock Club plans spring cookout The Student Gamecock Club will hold its spring cookout after the baseball game Saturday. RSVP Mick Crawford at 777-7784. Professional Rescuer CPR to be offered Health and Wellness Programs will of fer an American Red Cross CPR class for the Professional Rescuer from 5 to 8 p.m. April 7 and 11 a.m. to -5 p.m. April 8 in the Blatt P.E. Center. To reg ister, call 777-6518. The registration deadline is April 5. National comedy troupe coming The Second City National Touring Company, a comedy company, will have a show at 8 p.m. April 12 in the Russell House Ballroom. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for non-students and are for sale in the Carolina Pro ductions office and at the RH Infor mation Desk. For more information, call Carolina Productions at 777-7130. ‘Madame Butterfly* will be at Koger Center “Madame Butterfly” will be performed at 8 p.m. today at the Koger Center. A silent auction will precede the per- - formance at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be charged by phone through Columbia Classical Ballet. For more information, call Columbia Classical Ballet at 790-9122. Briefs for Campus Notes can be sub mitted to Russell House Room 333 or e-mailed togckfeatures@yahoo.com. We can’t promise to print everything, but we can promise to try. ■ CORRECTIONS In a story in Wednesday’s paper about USCPD’s reaccreditation, the following quote should have been attributed to USCPD Deputy Director of Support Ser vices Chris Wuchenich, not USCPD Di rector of Law Enforcement and Safety Ernie Ellis. “We are not lacking in any significant way. There was not a single question of a substantive nature. Wfe have clearly demonstrated compliance with all of the standards.” Dobson Volunteer Service Program Internships Now Available ARE YOU INTERESTED IN COMMUNITY SERVICE? DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE ACADEMIC CREDIT WHILE SERVING OTHERS IN NEED? CAN YOU MAKE AN IMPACT AND CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE? Through a generous gift from Mr. Robert Dobson, III, The Office of Community Service Programs is proud to sponsor the Dobson Volunteer Service Program, a Capstone Community Service Experience for USC students. Applications Are Available In The Campus Activities Center. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS i 1 FRIDAY, MARCH 31,2000. \ Questions? Contact the Office of Community Service Programs @ 777-6688.