Myself, like many others, were hurt when the news broke of the St. Louis County grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
I spent the next day hurt, confused, and troubled on what to do to help. On Twitter, I read many voices, especially those in the black art/design/tech community, express their hurt. Where did I fit in, what could I do? I spent the night walking around the city, just leaving my mind open to what it is that could be done.
I decided, in addition to being vocal and physically protesting, I can design a shirt to raise money. I scrambled to the nearest cafe and created the design.
The shirt's design is a nod to the art/design/tech community while (always and forever) reminding folks that "Black Lives Matter", the movement originated by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi.
So far, the shirt has raised funds for the following organizations:
Since 2015, 587 shirts were sold and $2,016 in donations were sent as of May 8th, 2020. As of May 9th, 2020, Allison Valiquette graciously is taking over management of the donations and campaign. The current run of donations will benefit Black LGBTQIA+ organizations. Thank you Allison.
While the project got a fair share of criticism (either from direct harassment on Twitter/Facebook and angry white dudes on comment sections throughout the internet), receiving a personalized thank you from the Ferguson Library and support from all over the country made this project worth it.
*As of June 16th, 2020, donations will no longer be sent to the Black Lives Matter Foundation, as recent reports from Buzzfeed state that the Foundation is not associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Donations sent in after May 9th will be sent to trusted foundations focused on Black LGBTQAI+ folks.
