Have ideas about the creative use of a vintage "Team Tiller" T-shirt? Then we have an offer for you. We are searching for the perfect recipient for a pristine "Team Tiller" T-shirt.
Words of Choice is offering one "Team Tiller" T-shirt(pictured) to a pro-choice person who can describe a creative or activist or plain-good use. The T-shirt is being donated to us by a longtime collaborator, Suzanne Grossman, with the goal of using it to recognize Dr. Tiller.
As prior stories on this blog indicate (here, here, here), Dr. Tiller was a hero. He was a hero to Words of Choice, and to women across this country, and to the reproductive freedom movement.
The T-shirt is one that was developed by Dr. Tiller, who was murdered in late May 2009. The individual charged with committing the murder is an anti-abortion zealot with zero conscience. When arrested, the zealot also carried the phone number of an Operation Rescue leader on his dashboard, although none of that organization have been arrested yet. Operation Rescue hounded Dr. Tiller with unseemly and outrageous protests. And yet Dr. Tiller provided support and abortion healthcare services to women, and went to court repeatedly to protect his patients' rights.
The T-shirts came about in 2001, according to an article in the New York Times:
"In 2001, after heavy protests, (Dr. Tiller) held a party and gave each employee a dozen roses, a medal engraved with the torch of liberty, a T-shirt depicting Rosie the Riveter and the words, “We can do it Team Tiller,” and an American flag that had flown over the clinic."
Now, in an effort to spur creative remembrances of Dr. Tiller -- by an individual or a group -- this Team Tiller T-shirt is available to someone who is pro-choice. What ideas do you have to honor Dr. Tiller? A display? A work of art? A quilt? A frame in a clinic? Wearing the shirt to counter protests of Operation Rescue? Conducting an education session for college students? Using it during a concert performance? Making it into a pillow? Filming your staff as each touches it and recounts the work of amazing pro-choice doctors? Creating a display in your NAF conference booth? Putting up an office wall-hanging with notes of thanks? Getting a commitment from a museum?
To be the recipient, we ask that you send an email with: (1) Your real name, location and phone number; (2) Your pro-choice credentials; (3) How you would use this shirt to honor Dr. Tiller; and, (4) A statement that you will send us a picture of your usage.
Send your email with the subject line "Team Tiller T-Shirt" to: wordsofchoice@mindspring.com
Look forward to hearing your ideas.
Posted by Cindy Cooper
Pictured above: "Team Tiller" Tee-Shirt
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