Clothing and apparel company launches ‘I am a Revolutionary’ t-shirt on Juneteenth, donating 50% of proceeds to Save the Hampton House
Boston-based and Black-owned clothing and apparel company, 195essential, has designed their latest t-shirt to honor American activist and revolutionary, Fred Hampton, as a part of their ‘Icon Series’. The t-shirt is set to launch Saturday, June 19, 2021, in honor of Juneteenth.
Fifty percent of the proceeds will go to Save the Hampton House, a GoFundMe created in December of 2020 with the purpose of preserving, protecting, and renovating the childhood home of Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton. Spearheaded by Fred Hampton’s son, Save the Hampton House seeks landmark status for the home and plans to establish it as a museum that will also facilitate educational services, community gardens, and a meeting place for community development.
American civil rights leader Fred Hampton served as deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter. Hampton formed the city of Chicago’s first “Rainbow Coalition,” an alliance of the Panthers with other groups organized around racial, ethnic, or ideological affiliation. Bringing together groups that otherwise would have had almost no positive contact, the Rainbow Coalition provided aid to low-income citizens by combining the member groups’ varied resources. The Panthers and the Chicago Police Department often clashed during Hampton’s brief tenure as deputy chairman, resulting in casualties on both sides, and on December 4, 1969, Hampton was killed during a raid on his residence by Chicago police officers. Later it was revealed that, of the nearly 100 shots fired during the raid, all except perhaps one was fired by the police. Fred Hampton’s story was most recently told in the motion picture, Judas and the Black Messiah, which was nominated for five Academy Awards.
“Through this limited-edition release, we are proud to honor Fred Hampton’s revolutionary work for civil rights and equality,” said Lena Harris, Co-founder of 195essential. “By donating a portion of sales from this collection to Save the Hampton House, we hope to keep his memory and legacy alive.”
Designed by Black artist, Fred White, the latest addition to 195essential’s ‘Icon Series’ collection will go live on their website on Saturday, June 19th, 2021 (Juneteenth). Gone but never forgotten, the 195essential ‘I am a Revolutionary’ shirt reminds us of the battle for progress fought by Revolutionary, Fred Hampton. Fred Hampton joins John Lewis, Sojourner Truth and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 195essential’s ‘Icon Series.’ To purchase from the collection, please visit www.195essential.com.
About 195essential:
Launched in May 2020, 195essential Clothing and Apparel honors and celebrates those deemed as essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also supporting and highlighting the ideals, people and organizations essential to our community, country and our own lives. 195essential drives awareness and a renewed appreciation for the basics of life – family, friends, neighbors, work, food and human contact, and partners with businesses, organizations and individuals providing goods and services to essential workers to help alleviate some of the stresses they are facing on the job or in the home. For more information or to purchase
a t-shirt, please visit www.195essential.com, @195essential on Instagram or www.facebook.com/195essential.
About Fred White:
Originating in NYC, Change.49 creator and maker Fred White has been hand-painting clothing and textiles since 2003. His creative expression and aesthetic evolves from observing impermanence, playful spontaneity, and in recognizing the interdependence of everything. His work on clothing is done without planning or to a fixed idea of what it will become, but gently guided by change.
Fred is a practitioner of Vipassana meditation, B student of the I-Ching, average rock climber, dissonant audiophile, and sews with ‘Alice’ his grandmothers 1953 Singer Featherweight.
