Bear with me on this one. It's long...
The idea for this shirt came to me when I was in Japan and took note of the Peace Poles at most of the temples there and how the idea of peace prevailing on Earth went hand in hand with the often Anarchist saying that "another world is possible". I thought about the different ways in which we seek peace and how it is not always a clear path but, for many people, the goal is peaceful equality.
This shirt shows two different ways people make their voice heard. It features a late 60s photo of people with a vision of a different world in Washington Park, NYC on the front and members of the Zengakuren clashing with police in Tokyo on the back. "Of central concern to the Zengakuren was American military presence in the region, and many of the most violent clashes occurred in demonstrations against the Vietnam War." Both images are juxtaposed with the saying that is somewhat superficially incongruent with the image... but still rings true.
We will be donating $5 from the sale of each of these to Michigan Ave. Mutual Aid which is an autonomous mutual aid operating in North Portland. Here is what they have to say- "Michigan Ave Mutual Aid provides volunteer community-initiated care to unhoused neighbors in North Portland. All of our work starts with meeting people where they’re at: delivering essential supplies to camps and building relationships over time. We take a trauma-informed approach, listening to our neighbors’ needs, and calling in community to respond as best we can. We are part of a wide and diverse decentralized mutual aid network.
Responding to what neighbors tell us they need means we’re always learning new things. There are a few areas we’re uniquely able to support. We acquire birth certificates and IDs with free notary services, financial support, and our experience navigating administrative systems. We’ve learned how to support folks who want to navigate social service and government benefit systems for housing, food stamps, social security, recovery, taxes, and shelters. During extreme weather, we fundraise in partnership with other groups and make sure folks get into motel rooms."
As always, receipts will be posted on our instagram.
Printed on Off White and Mustard Cotton Heavyweight shirts. Front image is in Purple. Back Image is Bright Orange. Runs true to size.
