As a woman who loves fashion almost as much as I love activism and advocacy, when I was generously invited to participate in a Black Lives Matter protest in Charlotte, one of my first thoughts was, “What am I going to wear?” Now that I have attended the protest and rally**, I am here to offer you some words of novice – I mean, how wise can I be? It was my first protest.
I personally wore my white t-shirt with the word “feminist” in cursive, black, destroyed denim shorts, and red canvas sneakers. Oh, and don’t forget my red earrings.
When I looked around, I mostly saw t-shirts with important messages, comfortable shoes, and shorts or pants or leggings. There were some demonstrators wearing more traditional African*** clothing.
Since t-shirts seemed to be the biggest component of “protest gear,” I want to take you to the World Wide Web, and show you some awesome apparel for your upcoming rally (because you should totally go to one; it was amazing):
1) Zazzle.com
Zazzle.com is where I purchased my feminist t-shirt, but they have merchandise for anything your heart could desire
Spreadshirt.com has a slew of different fit shirts with a million different slogans. Another cool aspect about this site is that you can also create your own shirts without terribly breaking the bank.
3) Etsy.com
I have been clearly mistaken that etsy was only the home of quirky jewelry and homemade urterus plush toys. If you type in “Black Lives Matter” or “Immigration,” you enter into a world of t-shirt abundance.
This list wouldn’t and couldn’t be complete without including Cafepress.com, a.k.a. the home of anything your little heart desires on any material your big mind can imagine. And yes, that certainly includes t-shirts.
Admittedly, it is hard to pay attention to the attire around you during such a stimulating and nerve-wrecking environment such as a protest, demonstration, or a rally. One woman, however, really caught my attention, and proved that you don’t have to wear a t-shirt to a demonstration.
Shani Salih El Bey says that she’s been watching a lot of 80’s television, and so she brought that spirit into this rally. And let’s be honest, it was fabulous.
Go forth and protest!
* Article’s thumbnail photo courtesy of Todd Zimmer
** If you want to learn more about this protest and rally, click here.
*** There are 54 countries in Africa, and I unfortunately did not ask the individuals the specifics of their garb. Please bear with my gross over generalization.