GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Elijah Brown thinks Black history is something that should be honored every single day, not just during the month of February.
That message served as the 16-year-old’s inspiration when he designed Black History Month shirts that are now being sold in hundreds of retail stores across the country.
Brown, a junior at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, was tapped by Meijer to design his own custom T-shirt as part of the retailer’s Black History Month collection featuring eight shirts and sweatshirts sold across the Midwest this month.
His shirt features an image of a bird released from a cage, designed by Grand Rapids artist Jasmine Bruce, along with an original quote from Brown: “This isn’t just a month, it’s everyday for us. #blackhistory”
“I wanted to put the message out to not celebrate Black History month, but to celebrate Black history, period,” Brown said.
The image of a bird leaving its cage was inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem, “Caged Bird” and its themes of captivity and freedom, Bruce said.
“It resonated strongly with us both to honor Black lives and share the importance of Black history with others,” the artist said in a prepared statement.
Growing up, Brown always had associated Black History Month with famous civil rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
But it wasn’t until 2020, after the killing of George Floyd, that Brown started thinking about Black history in a different light. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests and riots over police brutality and systemic racism, and ignited a movement to change how America’s cities are policed.
Instead of associating Black History Month with the past, Brown wanted to spread the message that today’s events are shaping history for tomorrow.
“Knowing what’s going on right now with protesting and police brutality really impacted the shirt,” Brown said. “Our history is now. What’s going on now will be our history in the next 20 to 30 years.
“We need to establish our history now so it can be talked about and be a legacy for generations as the past.”
Each of the 4,000 T-shirts were hand-printed in Grand Rapids through the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology, a nonprofit that engages Grand Rapids high school students in creativity and civic engagement through after-school and summer arts and technology programs.
Brown is a WMCAT student, and the proceeds from his shirts help support the mission of the nonprofit to provide equitable access to opportunity in West Michigan.
The shirts were sold this month in 220 Meijer stores in six states – Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio. The shirts will still be available for purchase while supplies last even after February.
Shawn Colley, Meijer’s divisional merchandising manager of men’s apparel, said the retail giant was proud to promote Brown’s work.
“This shirt design is clearly meaningful and we are excited to offer it to our customers as part of our Black History Month collection,” Colley said in a prepared statement.
Brown said he hadn’t realized the full extent of the project when he first agreed to design the T-shirts. When he found out his work would be displayed in Meijer stores across the Midwest, he knew he was making a “really big impact.”
“I feel really proud of myself,” he said. “But I’m very humble person.”
The 16-year-old said his parents are usually more excited about the accomplishment than he is.
“My mom cried and told me to keep going, she knew I was always going to do something big,” he said. “My dad bought the T-shirt and asked me to sign it, he wanted to put it up in a frame.”
Brown said some of his friends even bought the shirt without knowing who designed it, and then called him when they found out it was made by him.
“That really showed me that people understand this shirt before they even hear the story or are supporting somebody they know,” he said. “So I really hope this shirt opened everybody’s eyes up that Black History Month is every day for us.”
The 16-year-old has big goals for himself, and this T-shirt project is just the start.
“This really elevated me to really become something,” he said. “I’m 16 and on the news, making a shirt for 220 stores. When I’m 21, I want to be doing something even better. I want to keep building off this.”
Brown is currently dual-enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College and is studying to be a financial advisor when he graduates. He said he loves math and wants to learn how to manage finances and help others do the same.
“I just want to really do great in life and be very financially stable and embed generational wealth,” he said. “That’s my whole goal in life.”
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