Friendly Reminder From Jill Scott & the glitchez...Issa History Anthem On A Tee

November 12, 2025

(Summer 2013, Los Angeles City Hall, BLM Justice for Trayvon Martin)

The tee pictured above is one of the first designs under my brand way back in 2011. I wore it on July 20, 2013 to the BLM demonstration and protest in Los Angeles City Hall. An electric response to an innocent young teen’s assassination of body and character. His name is Trayvon Martin. This is where we realized how media controlled the narrative and saw the controllers skew it in real time. We found ourselves fighting against the ingrained and refreshed racist tropes and stereotypes the state used to justify the violence when we should have been seeking justice for the violence. Exhausting!

But social media was the phenomenon we needed. Social apps began to thrive in ways where not just entertainment and the funnies made it across our feeds but actual news and information. And from various sources. Add to that, the growing global access that allowed connection more than ever before. The air was ripe for a cataclysmic event that could showcase how far and wide these connections could go. 2011 saw us trying to save Troy Davis by a reshare, repost and desperate letter to their local governor (and is probably why I felt compelled to make this tee).

The act of simply commenting and sharing proved impactful in seeing the bigger picture. This is the beginning of the era when we went macro and saw the world through the eyes of each other. Hashtags galore helped us find one other which is how I learned of the demonstration I covered below.

I've been to the other major demonstrations in the following years - George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, etc. - and the BLM movement actually started to get bigger and more diverse. And that's when the fraud and fraud accusations, blm activist assassinations and distractions took over and we have what we have today. Pockets of authentic resistance that do the work despite these obstacles.

I would suggest following BLM grassroots: I've followed them for years and they are solid. They are even suing and have been protesting the "blm" group who defrauded millions from donors and the actual group it was meant for.

BACK TO THE TEE...

"This is not the land of the brave but the home of the slave." Jill Scott

Jill Scott sang her version of the US national anthem at the tender age of 19 and has been performing it on her tours with that particular part going viral on Tik Tok.

(click image below)(Photo source NY Post)

Our tee's simple, subversive statement seeks irony and sarcasm but never disrespect to the group mentioned. Not sure if I'd like to refresh this print or nah because of the evolving feelings around words. Nowadays, it seems we collectively agree to use "enslaved" instead of "slave"; describing the action done unto humans rather than dehumanizing them with a negative core identity tag. Words are powerful and like any media, extremely influential on your psyche. Bottom line - I am, You are, We are NOT slaves. . .

Upon shooting pics for promo, the nature of medium allowed a little fun with creating new phrases through the act of folding (below). I don't think this was ever officially for sell so we ended up with this one-off. I look at it fondly in my closet, every so often.