Religious intolerance. Interracial relationships. Sexual violence. Gender equality. These are just some of the issues students addressed when they made T-shirts during the Oct. 20 Stop the Violence campaign.

The campaign consisted of two parts. The Clothesline Project took place during the day, where students were encouraged to decorate a T-shirt in a way that spoke out against violence or other issue and display them on a clothesline.

During Take Back the Night that evening, students shared their stories, listened to music and watched a dance performance at the end of the night.

When I arrived at noon that day, there were about 15 shirts hanging from the clotheslines lining the back yard of the Women’s Center. By the end of the day, there were 70.

I walked around looking at the shirts while Bob Dylan’s “How does it feel?” played in the background. I saw one shirt that said “Childhood Shouldn’t Hurt,” while another said “Equal Rights for All.” There was even a shirt that said “Smith. US Army. I Fight Because My Brother Couldn’t!”

That evening, during Take Back the Night, the clothesline acted as a blanket around the perimeter of the Women’s Center’s backyard.

There were some performers and singers, and there were many students who got up and shared their stories of sexual and domestic violence.

Some people had shared their story many times before, while some were sharing for the very first time. One student shared his story through a poem about his experience.

The evening culminated with a performance by the dance studio Star Struck. They performed a dance to Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie.” They acted out violent scenes, and the light coming from behind them on campus made it look very dramatic. When the dance was over, there was a big cheer from the audience.

The Stop the Violence campaign was all about empowerment. The students who participated not only confronted violence, but also took on other issues such as inequality, racism and intolerance.

Overall, the event was very uplifting, and the students who participated were truly inspiring.