Union Institute & University Participates in National Clothesline Project to Align With University Mission
Union Institute & University Cincinnati and Los Angeles Academic Centers were partners with the Clothesline Project (CLP), a worldwide program that encourages the decoration of t-shirts to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women.
The t-shirts represent the individual feelings of women and men who want to express their commitment to stand against violence to women or have been a victim or witness to domestic violence.
Donna Gruber, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Academic Center, spearheaded the project for Union.
“I wanted Union to participate because I loved the concept of The Clothesline Project, allowing women to tell their story through art while educating others that women are subject to many forms of violence. Using The Clothesline Project as a tool for not only survivors but friends and family to show their support and highlight the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women seemed like a perfect fit, especially for Union which is all about learning, service, and social responsibility.”
The Clothesline Project, begun in 1990, mirrors Union’s mission to educate adults to pursue professional goals and a lifetime of learning, service, and social responsibility and commitment to connecting scholarship and theory and social justice in its academic disciplines.
“The Clothesline Project is a natural extension of our mission,” said Dr. Roger H. Sublett, president of Union Institute & University. “The t-shirts serve as a visible reminder and, we hope, an education tool for the community to understand that violence against women has impacted tens of thousands of people and that there are solutions.”
Union’s commitment to women also led to the creation of the Women in Union scholarship program, founded in 2009, to support mothers who need financial assistance to return to their education to better their own lives and that of their children. Union also offers a Women’s & Gender Studies graduate certificate.