Update 8/21: We were able to raise and donate over $100 through the sale of our limited-edition “BLM” Tee — thank you to everyone who purchased one!

We’re currently working on more projects and dialogues that focus on highlighting voices in the BIPOC community, such as an upcoming collaboration with the Good Life Youth Foundation in Syracuse. We hope that these stories, products, and more can provide relevant insight and instill long-lasting change along the way.

It’s a powerful rallying cry that’s brought people together to create change around the globe.

As a community of storytellers, entrepreneurs, thinkers, and doers, we place a high value on longform not just as an adjective, but as an idea. Through our stories and podcasts, we aim to provide context and depth that gives you a space to truly understand the complex people and topics in our vast, ever-changing world.

We believe that the most vulnerable and creative pieces are the ones that can engage authentic conversations about the things we don’t talk about, the things that make us feel uncomfortable. And in designing products inspired by these conversations, our mission is to start new ones.

We’ve put an emphasis on amplifying Black creators, including podcasts like “Whistles” and “Black Box” and essays like this one. Yet we have a long way to go in ensuring that we're doing our part to promote diverse storytelling. Moving forward, we will be doubling down on efforts to give strong young voices a place to feel comfortable and confident telling their stories.

Also, for the next four weeks, we’ll be highlighting stories we love made by Black storytellers. These include movies, books, albums, and more. We’ll be sending these pieces out as letters, as well as updating this page with them every Friday. Along with these letters, we’ll be fostering dialogues about these pieces with our community; if you’re interested in joining in on the conversation, you can join our Discord channel here.

Finally, we’re releasing this limited-edition UP “BLM” Tee. Featuring powerful words from South African theologian and humans right activist Desmond Tutu — as well as a raised fist representing solidarity both with and within the black community — this tee aims to start a conversation around what it means to be an ally. Additionally, the back of the tee features information on how to donate to organizations that are directly creating change through education, action, and more.

You can click either of the two images above to purchase the UP "BLM" Tee through our store. The cost is $16, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Black Lives Matter and the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective. To learn more about why we chose these organizations, click here. The shirt will be available to buy starting today and ending Sunday, June 14, at midnight. Also, if you’re in the Chicagoland area, use code “BLM” for free pickup and delivery from Evanston.

Finally, we just want to say that the fight to create everlasting change doesn’t end with a t-shirt, and it certainly didn’t start with one. Just because the media may move on doesn’t mean we need to. We ask that you join us on our mission to continue to listen and learn by consuming stories from Black creators, as well as striking up dialogues about race and identity. In doing these things, we hope that we’re still talking about the problems of systemic racism and police brutality six months from now, and not just six days from now.

With love,

The Unplugg’d Team