Bring the Children Home

The 2000 P.A.R.E.N.T International Abduction Conference officially closed with a candlelight vigil at the White House. Margaret McClain's Clothesline Project was displayed at the vigil. Margaret had spent 5 months painting and decorating 240 T-shirts with a missing child's name and photo on one side and the country and year of abduction on the other.Ten other people had brought similar T-shirts to the conference.

These 250 T-shirts, we attached to a 600-foot clothes line with poles spaced every 5 shirts. This we carried to the White House. It was quite a moving sight. We marched the clothesline around in front of the White house for hours, chanting "Bring our children home!" and singing "Who Hears the Cries of the Little Children" by Craig Deanto. President Clinton and Chelsea came out and watched for a while. Hillary didn't.

It was drizzling so the T-shirts became heavier and heavier (as the emotional burden we carry also becomes heavier and heavier). This required drying of the T-shirts when we returned from the White House to the conference hotel. Now you know why you see us laying the T-shirts out on tables at the end.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Parent
• International
• Abduction
• Conference
• Hague
• Convention