REDLINED was born from a desire to share my story about growing up in Bushwick, Brooklyn NY during the 70’s 80’s and 90’s. We were told that our communities were broken because we were uneducated, lazy, and didn’t care about our neighborhoods. The reality was that our communities were REDLINED. “Redlining” refers to the structural and systemic racism and discriminatory practices in which services were withheld from potential customers living in neighborhoods classified as "hazardous" to investment. These neighborhoods often had significant numbers of people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as people considered low-socioeconomic status. They were policies deliberately designed to keep certain regions impoverished and deprived of adequate healthcare, education, and opportunities. Communities like ours were often looked down upon and treated with complete disregard. It was very common to feel trapped and discouraged. Our environment and surroundings felt relentlessly sad, and our future was uncertain.

On the streets of our communities, we witnessed the birth and rise of graffiti as an art form. It was a way to express to others that WE WERE HERE. It was a way to feel visible and let others know that we had some value, even if we created that value for ourselves. Street wear and urban wear as it was initially known, became another way to express ourselves and show our value and worth. It was who we were and where we were from. Our only form of visual representation was in our hip hop and rap videos where we saw people who looked like us, spoke like us and came from the same places as us.

Today, we hear our music and see our icons in just about every language and major brand’s commercials. We see our clothing being reimagined by fashion houses on runways worldwide. Our dancing has influenced generations and continues to do so with an international following and major competitions all over the globe. Before the days of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook our influence was already moving seismic needles like an earthquake. But now we have a unique opportunity to reach everyone with our story.

In spite of the very real challenges we faced we were gifted the understanding that life, despite its challenges, is undeniably beautiful. We learned that achieving any kind of greatness requires patience and perseverance. Together, we can achieve great things. We can take those experiences and use them as fuel to propel us beyond any boundary; to work together, be creative, think of solutions, aspire towards a goal, to never take no for an answer and to achieve more than anyone ever imagined we could.

REDLINED is a community. We are a community of people around the world who understand and believe that we are stronger together; that the sum of our challenges, differences and ideas is our strength. We matter. Our experiences matter. What we say matters… and the world is listening! Through various forms of expression, combining the arts, fashion and storytelling, REDLINED serves as a means of education, inspiration and empowerment for everyone. Our goal is to give back to the communities we represent. Many of our people are still experiencing the real ramifications of being REDLINED. Unapologetically from Bushwick, Brooklyn, for the rest of the world, we are REDLINED!