"A Line In The Sand" Educates

>I don’t know what I was expecting. What I found was strength and hope in the faces of those who have worked tirelessly to help the women and children of domestic violence.

A traveling photographic exhibit entitled A Line in the Sand is at the Circuit Court building until tomorrow, October 30, 2008. This is late notice for a Rockville viewing of this exhibit created by House of Ruth Maryland, but it will continue around our state until summer 2009. Having this exhibit in our courthouse has been an appropriate reminder of the women who file for protective orders each day.

At first, the photos were simply large portraits. I wondered why former Governor Donald Schaefer’s picture greeted me. Until you read the words tightly tied to each, you don’t understand. The explanations build until a full awareness of all the work undertaken since the early 1970’s overtakes you. Back then, there was no recognition of domestic violence. Maryland passed its first Protective Order legislation in 1980 but didn’t extend the duration from 15 days to 12 months until 1997. People like Mr. Schaefer worked to change attitudes and laws.

One placard describes the volunteers as angels. Judge Robert M. Bell claims only to be doing his job, yet he increased the number of interpreters in the courtroom. Drs. Jackie Campbell and Barbara Parker are developing protocols to help caregivers support children who survive uxoricide, which is more common among children than leukemia. Lisa Spicknall carried on after her children were killed to insure that our laws were changed when they allowed her husband to purchase a gun even though there was a protective order against him.

Altogether over thirty people are featured for their involvement, including legislators, mothers, philanthropists, and nurses. Some were personally touched by the pain of this abuse, but many went beyond writing a check to dedicate their time to this cause without firsthand knowledge of a tragedy. As I gazed into each of their faces, I felt like I was meeting them, which is a great testament to the sixteen fine art photographers who were given free reign to portray these determined individuals.

If you don’t make it to one of the exhibitions, you can buy the book and make a contribution.

Photograph from House of Ruth Maryland.

Share and enjoy:

Hide Sites