So we’ve reached the end of our BOATS journey for now and I saved my personal favorite for last. It’s no secret (or perhaps it is to some?) that when it comes to crimes (murders, kidnappings, etc. you name it) and society in general, Black Women feel ignored / silenced – especially in comparison to men BY men and media as a whole.  So while WE may be battling racism on a united front, there’s still their fight against sexism on top of that. Breonna Taylor was murdered on March 13th. George Floyd was murdered May 25th. If you’re being honest with yourself, which one did you hear about first?

Yeah, I know. Me too. And that’s the reality of it. And I’m not comparing deaths or weighing one over the other because both of them should still be here. So should all the others we barely hear about. When it comes to this piece, I named it “Breonna’s Law” after the actual law about the no knock warrant. However, I wanted it to still remain relevant to ALL other cases involving women. Like Oluwatoyin for example. And just women in general.  I’m sure right now you know of a woman/women who has been harassed in some form. Just this week …month …year.

And I’m certainly not perfect so none of this is meant to come off as holier than thou. All I’m saying is, if we’re going to tackle changes in other areas, this one shouldn’t be forgotten about either. On a final note, while I haven’t seen Moonlight (I’m backed up with films and shows), I did happen to see a quote for it that stuck for some reason while doing a color study for this very piece. “In moonlight, black boys look blue”.

So I made Black Women purple, because it’s the color of royalty.

DAY 4
BOATS, Breonna’s Law
Purchase: https://www.toysldrs.com/product/breonnas-law/

No one usually makes a statue or monument for the purpose of vilifying. The Venus de Milo is commonly accepted to be an ode to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Located in Paris, within the Louvre Museum, countless admirers from all over the world have come out to see it in person. When you walk into the United Center Arena and see “The Spirit” or as most people recognize it, The Michael Jordan statue, you don’t think “yeah, they fucking hated that guy.” It’s meant to glorify. Statues and Monuments of all sorts are our way of idolizing a figure or moment as bigger than life. To preserve it’s memory throughout history.

In a time where NASCAR is taking steps to ban the confederate flag, the Washington Redskins football organization is facing pressure to change the teams name, Quaker changing Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s image and names over Racial Stereotypes – I couldn’t force a tear out for the likes of  Robert E. Lee, Robert Milligan, John Sutter, Charles Linn, Christopher Columbus or any other statue being taken down willingly or forcibly. Takes all of 5 minutes to Google where they stood if you fell asleep in history class.

If you fall under the same category as those guys, your statue is probably next. So in the words of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, protect ya fuckin’ neck.

DAY 3
BOATS, Protect Ya Neck
Purchase: https://www.toysldrs.com/product/boats-protect-ya-neck/

The more COVID-19 cases spike, endangering YOU and your loved ones, the more they open up outside and tell you it’s ok. Fuck your health and safety. However, the minute you take to the streets and set fire to big businesses because you’re tired of your cries for equality and justice going unheard (with video evidence), they give you a curfew and tell you to stay inside. There’s clothing racks, home decor and dept store aisles they hold in higher regard than your very existence. Fuck those clothes. And yes, I’m very aware this is a clothing brand blog. I said what I said.

DAY 2
BOATS, No Peace!
Purchase: https://toysldrs.com/product/boats-no-peace/

The entire world has been a clusterfuck of bad decisions & bad news. So much so, it feels as if there’s almost something new happening everyday and I’m no less immune to any of it than you are. So while production around the site has slowed down in the midst of COVID-19, Police Brutality, Protests, Economic Failures, Aliens, Parallel Earths, and countless deaths – I never really stopped working. With that said, I wanted to share a small collection of art pieces I put together for my own sanity in the middle of the world crumbling. Whether you purchase something or not, I hope it resonates with you.

Much like how the news has been consistently dropping less than thrilling reports daily or every other day, each piece from the B O A T S collection will be released separately daily/every other day. With that said:

DAY 1
BOATS, Self Titled.
Purchase: https://toysldrs.com/boats-based-on-a-true-story/