The motivation for my Black Lives Matter design and products started with a video on Facebook, where I saw a little black girl telling herself that she was ugly while a woman was brushing her hair. The woman stopped and told her all the things she would be able to achieve in life because of how smart she was, but this little girl was not paying attention. All she cared about was that she was not pretty. In that moment, I could put a little face to the social movement of Black Lives Matter, and it broke my heart.
Of course, this is a sad story, but I didn’t want my design to be a reflection of the little girl’s sadness. Instead, I wanted to create something vibrant and uplifting. I love colors, and I wanted to play with them to create something for this movement that is burning in the news, on social media, and in the streets. I was upset about what I saw with this little girl, so I decided that I wanted to collaborate and protest with my creativity.
I must admit – I always tend to look on the brighter side. In my designs, I always try to promote positivity and optimism, and I usually avoid controversial topics, but this case was different. The world was on fire, and so was my heart. I am Latino, and most of my friends are black. My skin color is white, and because of this, I have not experienced racism and discrimination like my partner, cousins, friends, and neighbors. Black Lives Matter is about minorities, including Latinos, along with poor and white people who believe it is not fair to have more privileges just because of their skin color.
In my design, I wanted to place women protesting about discrimination and racism by having them hold a BLM sign. The women represent all sizes, cultures, and colors to show diversity, unity, and togetherness. I also designed a mask for each of the women as a sign of what we are currently living through in this unprecedented time of COVID-19. I was able to illustrate a fearless group of women, who also know they need to protect themselves from the “unknown enemy.”
Why women? First, I wanted to let the world know that women are together against racism no matter their background may be. Second, I am very passionate about women’s rights. When I see an issue in the world, I always ask myself, “How can this affect women or children?” This inspires me to continue reading and finding ways to be supportive and make a little difference.
My dream is to found a non-profit organization in my native country, Dominican Republic, that helps teens, little girls, single mothers, and mothers without resources to continue educating themselves, get jobs, and achieve their dreams. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Dominican Republic has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the lack of possibilities, education, and discrimination is part of the reason why this continues to occur.
With my design, I wanted it to celebrate and represent unity, women empowerment, and diversity. In support of the BLM Movement and women’s rights, I wanted there to be an element of movement in my design to demonstrate our movement forward. I incorporated movement by adding some AR, or augmented reality, technology to my graphics.
I also decided to donate 10 percent of all our sales to a non-profit organization called “Pretty Brown Girl,” which is dedicated to empowering, educating, and encouraging girls of color by cultivating social, emotional, and intellectual well-being.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this project, and all the people who try every day to do something with the resources they have. Indeed, there is still a lot to do to create the world we want to live in, but every little step counts, as every person can use their talents and knowledge to make a change.
There is still hope in this world. Everything started with a video on Facebook, where I saw a little black girl telling herself that she was ugly. This video clip moved and motivated me to use my talents to create something that now means something to me and hundreds of people. It is fascinating how a small act can become so big.
To shop the collection, support the movement, and see more about my work: please visit my website.
