Survivors of sexual and domestic abuse shut down North Avenue Sunday, telling their stories through squares added to The Monument Quilt."
Each square, written, stitched and painted onto red fabric, tells one person's story. Survivors say putting their experiences down onto fabric is part of the healing process.
"The message of the monument quilt is you're not alone and that's so so true. You're really not," said Aliya Webermann, a sexual assault survivor.
"You know, people say 'oh I don't know anyone that's been raped or assaulted or abused' like, you do. You know many many people."
The event featured quilt-making, performances and a mayoral forum on sexual and domestic violence.
"What we hear from survivors who participate in the quilt and make quilt squares is that it's this huge burden that is lifted," said Rebecca Nagle, co-founder of The Monument Quilt. "It was like that for me when I made my own quilt square."
More than 1,000 stories have been added to the quilt. The project has made stops in 23 U.S. cities to date, and will culminate in a mile-long blanket of 6,000 squares at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
See more from the ABC2 special Community in Crisis: Violence Against Women:
Rape crisis and recovery centers in Maryland
Woman uses her own experience with rape to help others heal
Erin's Law aims to educate K-12 students about sexual assault, sexual abuse
How to talk to your child about sexual assault
Lethality Assessment Program used to identify potentially deadly relationships
SAFE Program at GBMC empowers sexual assault victims
Advocate fights to end street harassment through local non-profit
INFOGRAPHIC: Sexual violence against women by the numbers
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