FASCIA is a fashion forward, social-justice-oriented organization founded by two medical students, Theodor Uzamere and Abbas Rattani, at one of the oldest surviving historically black medical schools in the country. They aim to create fashion representative of the communities they’re in and use proceeds to build a sustainable model of educational enrichment. FASCIA teamed up with the socially conscious accessories brand, Radical Dreams, founded by medical student Shannon Pringle, to release the “Abundant Hope” pin collection.

FullSizeRender — Photo via Theodor Uzamere

Borrowing its name from a poem by Maya Angelou written in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the pin collection pays respect to the civil rights leaders who paved the way for equal rights. FASCIA knows the manifestations of their dedication; historically black medical school faculty and students were prohibited from training in and patients were barred from receiving care from white facilities before the Civil Rights Movement. There is still much work needing to be done, and in trying to pay their appreciation forward, 100 percent of the proceeds from these pins will help pay for enrichment opportunities for black pre-medical students via the Five Hundred Scholarship Fund.

Every year, 20,000 students matriculate in medical schools. According to Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine, a report by the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 515 black males matriculated into medical school in 2014. In fact, there were less black students attending medical school in 2014 than there were in 1978. The Five Hundred Scholarship Fund aims to not only fund prep courses and materials for undergraduate pre-medical students but to provide the mentorship tools necessary to increase the number of matriculating black males.

FASCIA and Radical Dreams are confident that the aesthetic diligence portrayed in the design of the pins and the social goals they plan to actualize will be well received. Limited quantities are available.

The collection will be available February 1, 2016, on www.highfascia.com.

Follow FASCIA and Radical Dreams on Instagram and Twitter (@highfascia and @radical_dreams_pins) for updates and more information on The Five Hundred Scholarship Fund.

For more information on the collaboration visit www.highfascia.com/collaborations.

For other socially conscious accessories, visit www.radicaldreams.net.

Fascia is the tough connective tissue layer that covers most of the important structures in the body below the skin. For us here at FASCIA, it symbolizes what is below the surface; the union of consumers as an entity. Coupling our love of fashion with our passion for social justice, FASCIA strives to take your ideas and turn them into societal change that our world is in dire need of. Instead of letting others determine the trends, we call on you to join us in making those decisions to create products which translate into contributing toward a cause much bigger than any individual.

Theodor Uzamere

Writing since January 2016 · 1 story contributed