Photographers milling around Skylight Clarkson Square on the second day of New York Fashion Week: Men’s found themselves faced with something a lot more powerful than the typical display of street style. Black Lives Matter activists chose the venue as the location for a silent protest, one that felt all the more cogent against the frenetic atmosphere of editors shuttling in and out of shows. The dozen or so activists held up signs and dressed in black T-shirts, one reading “Stop Killing Us” and others emblazoned with the names of black men killed by cops.
As the Black Lives Matter movement grows in urgency following the police killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling last week, protests are becoming a regular sighting in the city. But the choice of location wasn’t purely incidental. Speaking to Mashable‘s David Yi, who captured the protest on his phone, fashion editor Hannah Stoudemire said she was disappointed by the fashion industry’s silence on the injust treatment of African-Americans. “I work in the fashion industry and I noticed none of the designers cared about it,” she said. “I’m the only black employee for a major house on Madison and everyone seems not to acknowledge what has happened. There’s no condolences. There’s nothing. When it comes to a matter of life or death, a dollar sign shouldn’t come into play.”
Stoudmire said she had the idea last year, following the police killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Motivated by the horrifying events of last week, she sent out a text message asking other activists to march with her to the venue. Another editor present spoke only on the condition of anonymity. “Fashion loves controversy, for sure, but it has to be the right kind,” she said. “It’s not chic right now to stand up for the movement and for many, they’re afraid to lose their jobs or clout in this industry.” Hopefully the fear of staying silent silent starts to outweigh the fear of speaking up — and convinces the fashion industry to lend more voices to this all-important movement.
The powerful #blacklivesmatter silent protest at #nyfw pic.twitter.com/fxtsHENbFy
— David Yi (@seoulcialite) July 12, 2016
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley
Image via Instagram