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The deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have become national news as police violence continues to take innocent lives from the Black community. While brands and designers within the sneaker community have recently made donations to organizations and resources in support, some feel that it frankly isn’t enough.
Tremaine Emory, also known as Denim Tears, posted on his Instagram that his collaborative Converse Chuck 70 won’t release until change from Nike arrives. Emory explains that this comes from feeling that Nike, and other brands, are placing an “expensive bandaid” on a wound that goes deeper than the surface. His Instagram post outlines the four demands he wants to see from Nike and other brands before his shoe drops. Read them for yourself below.
1. To stop all support of the Republican Party whilst Donald trump is theIR candidate running this November.
2. We need to see publicly how many black employees at Nike are working at HQ & at satellite offices VERUS How many black athletes they sponsor from a high school team to @kingjames
3. How many black people have leadership roles at Nike.
4. We need to see Nike aid in the defunding and total reform of all the police departments across America that brutalize all people that they make all of their money from…AFRICAN AMERICANS…repost this if you think Nike and all company’s in America need to take these simple steps to finally change this country and freeing all people of color from the reign of institutionalized white supremacy
The shoe itself draws inspiration from Marcus Garvey and David Hammons for their commitment to the community and the Africa-American flag. The colorway, dubbed as the “Veil on a Black Coffin” according to Emory, was designed to, “give a proper burial to every single black person murdered since the first slave ship arrived in America till now.”
Take a look at the pair below from Emory himself. Stay tuned as Nice Kicks as the story develops. In other Converse news, the brand just signed Natasha Cloud making history for Converse.
