1619 and Beyond’s campaign exists as a collaboration between a trio of community world-changing leaders and organizers: Alicia Garza, co-creator of Black Lives Matter, Mike Nicholls, founder of the Oakland-based magazine UMBER, and Mashama Thompson, the co-founder and creative director of Oakland’s 510 Media Hope Foundation. “I dubbed Black History month Black Future’s Month to remind me to not get stuck in where we’ve been, but also to reimagine where we’re headed,” says Garza in a press release. “Carter G. Woodson had it right to elevate notable contributions from Black Communities. Who will be the inventors, creators, orators, freedom fighters, writers, architects of the next generation and what will they build? That’s what I love about this collection. 1619 and Beyond sparks a conversation about how we move forward as a Black Community.”
Rockridge’s 1619 and Beyond product initiative pays homage to the role that activists and artists have each played in social movements and advancements in the Black community — and greater society at large. The pieces visually express and expand that messaging, providing a visual language and concrete context to help distinguish and amplify the voices of the unheard, all while fiscally supporting up-and-coming youths of tomorrow. Retailing for $185 each, the limited edition pieces feature body temperature regulation technology, as well as embroidered graphics of protestors representing the values of “resilience, resistance, and justice.” And best of all, a percentage of the sales of 1619 and Beyond will be donated to Oakland-based organizations that are helping to move the community forward like. // For more information on Rockridge and the 1619 and Beyond campaign (and product line), visit rockridgesf.com. Photography courtesy of Rockridge.
