MLK Is On MY Wall

This morning, I got my daily email from the ever-inspiring Seth Godin. It was about heroes that have come before us and it ended with, "Today is a fine day to consider who’s on our wall." I couldn't agree more with that statement.

Today, we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., a real leader with real ideas for real positive change; a man who truly wanted to UNITE people for the common good.

One of the main inspirations behind the creation of my brand STAY VOCAL in 2003 was this handmade upcycled artwork of MLK on the bottom of one of my broken skateboards. And after having my second skateboard related surgery, I wanted to do something different with skateboarding that would be less impactful on my body and more impactful on the world. So, this artwork became my first skateboard design.

Things have obviously changed over the years with my brand (now being a reuse clothing brand), but one thing that has not changed is the other main inspiration behind its creation. Too many of us sit idly by and let things happen, when we could be using our most powerful weapon that we're born with: our voice.

So on this day when we celebrate one of the strongest voices in our country's history, we must remember that. We must remember that it is our right as citizens of this country, as citizens of the world, as humans, to make ourselves heard. And right now, our voices need to be heard more than ever. Our country needs us. MLK's legacy needs us. WE need us. Because as MLK said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Unity over division. Because no matter how you slice it, we're all in this together.