GASTONIA, N.C. - May 31, 2020 - "I can't breathe." – Eric Garner, 43

"I can't breathe" - George Floyd, 46

"Why do you have your guns out?" – Kenneth Chamberlain, 66

"What are you following me for?" – Trayvon Martin, 16

"Mom, I'm going to college." – Amadou Diallo, 23

"I don't have a gun. Stop shooting." – Michael Brown, 18

"You shot me! You shot me!" – Oscar Grant, 22

"It's not real." – John Crawford, 22

A local screen printer, Pickleweeds Press, with a reputation for supporting local fundraising efforts, has partnered with a Dwayne Burks, a Gastonia civic leader, to produce a t-shirt to benefit the Equal Justice Initiative.

Burks states, "This idea came to me as I watched the vitriolic social media responses to the Minnesota death. I wondered how to help without being hurtful. This simple shirt design invites readers to think. Simply think. " He continues, "After leading 2 separate groups to EJI headquarters in Montgomery it just made sense to support Stevenson's good work in this small way. "

The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

The shirt features a black background, with the last words of six unarmed black men and one unarmed black boy killed in America. The shirts are being sold through the Pickleweeds Press online store. The campaign runs through mid-June, and each shirt sold is a $10 donation to the EJI.

http://www.pickleweedspress.com

Contact
L. Lahti
D. Burks