I'm sure that by now Geraldo Rivera regrets his off-the-cuff comments that Trayvon Martin's hoodie was just as responsible for his death as the bullet that killed him. However, the comment lingered with me and I tried to express my thoughts in ways most artists do best---in their art. For me, that was with- no surprise-..a black hoodie. In both my regular upcycling and also when I had collegiate licensing for GA and Georgia Tech, I loved using hoodies. So, I grabbed a plain black hoodie and went to work with some thoughts on the situation.
Regardless of the facts of the case, a teenager is dead who didn't deserve to die walking down a street in America with tea and skittles. So, isn't it time we started to break decades-old stereotypes and stop the hate so that innocent kids aren't misconstrued for being anything other than what they are---- a fellow human being loved by God? Using various pieces of other tee shirts in the studio, I have mapped out a strategy on my hoodie. If just one person takes it to heart--- including me-- it was worth the effort.
