Black Owned Spotlight: Grandslammer$ Inc by Chris Blackwood

I was scrolling through my timeline when one of my friends shared a photo of one of the coolest sweatshirts I've ever seen. A young woman wearing a white sweatshirt with a huge sparkly gold seal in the center. It immediately pulled me in and I had to know where she got it from. It took me about 5 seconds to discover Grandslammer$, a black owned business located in our northern neighbor, Canada.

After looking at their numerous apparel selections, I decided to get the very sweatshirt that initially caught my attention. Pricing was decent (Remember the US Dollar is currently higher which will translate at checkout), plus I'm always searching for coupon codes and I managed to snag one upon check out.

Once I received it I fell in LOVE. Even more eye catching in person, I wore it out the next day I received it. Material is quality and super comfy. The attractive glitter logo makes it more versatile to wear with sneakers or heels. I can't begin to count the amount of people that asked me where I got this awesome find! I had to learn more about the man behind the sparkle so I reached out and what I found out made me appreciate it even more. Check out his personal interview with me below and EXCLUSIVE TO MY READERS! ENJOY 15% OFF YOUR VERY OWN GRANDSLAMMER$ GEAR! DIRECTIONS TO GET THE CODE AT THE END OF THIS INTERVIEW!

Name: Chris Blackwood
Age: 34
Brand Name: Grandslammer$

When did you start creating your apparel line? 

We started the clothing line 3 years ago. My younger brother Jason Blackwood, Co Founder of Grandslammer$, and I began this journey in the community of Jane and Finch which is located in Toronto, Canada. 

Where does your artistic influence come from?

The artistic influence for our Grandslammer$ logo and our various editions come from My younger brother Jason. This Granslammer$ journey was all started from my younger brother's vision. 

What is the concept behind your brand?  Grandslammer$ is a Canadian urban clothing line that symbolizes hard work, determination, achieving your goals, Grinding for yours, and never giving up. Grandslammer$ is a lifestyle. Individuals, around the world, that are working hard to achieve their personal goals everyday is a Grandslammer$. Our logo is a clock, with the word GRIND in it, meaning that every second, minute, and hour you have to GRIND in order to achieve your personal goals.

What do you hope to accomplish with your brand?

What we hope to accomplish with Grandslammer$ is to be recognized as a credible Canadian clothing line, just like ROOTS. We also hope to have expand from our online store to an actual store front. We want to inspire other young people and young entrepreneurs coming from "at risk" communities, that we grew up in, to follow their dreams and GRIND for it. 

What inspired your logo? And the glitter effect? 

What inspired our logo was my younger brother's vision of "GRINDING for yours "as soon as you wake up. As you can see, our logo has a clock and it says GRIND. That's why our motto is "Support the BRAND that supports your GRIND ". Our "Glitter Effect" symbolizes the hard work that an individual is putting into achieving his or her personal goals. You have to GRIND to SHINE. The glitter adds a special feeling to our pieces when it's being worn. If you don't wear jewelry, our shirts our the perfect accessory. The feedback for the glitter has been humbling because all of our customers love there way it looks and makes them feel.

How do you describe your fashions and style?

I describe my fashion style as a simple, clean, and loud at the same time. I can wear our Grandslammer$ Brand in any setting (at home, at work, at special events, and in the club). 

How did you develop your interest in an apparel line? 

Coming from our community, which is considered a "hood" you have to always be on point and look fresh. You always have to make sure that your shoes match your shirt, your pants complement your shirt and shoes, and your hat compliments everything else. We use to wear all the name brand clothing lines but then we realized that we could do the same thing. So my brother came up with the Grandslammer$ concept and that's all I've been wearing ever since. The feedback has been humbling on all levels.

What is your favorite item in your collection?

Picking a favorite item is like choosing who is my very child. I honestly love them all. Every last piece, in our collection, is a personal favorite of mine.

What do you hope for your business in the future?

We hope to be Nationally recognized as a credible urban clothing line. Also, have a few store fronts around Canada and North America

What is the biggest challenge being a black business owner?

Being taken seriously from clothing manufacturers and the general public is our biggest challenge by I strongly believe that, due to our work ethic, we are slowly getting their attention.

What advice do you have other aspiring business owners?

Believe in your brand no matter what. Stay consistent with marketing your brand. Utilize social media to market your brand. Last but not least, create a team of individuals that believe in your brand as much as you do.

ENJOY 15% OFF YOUR GRANDSLAMMER$ APPAREL! CLICK HERE TO GRAB THE CODE!

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Why The Protests Of Today Are NOT Enough

Photo Courtesy of the women of Rescued Church Boston

So it happened again. I woke up to a slew of social media posts regarding another unarmed black person killed by police. My heart began to race as I tried to remain as calm as possible while watching the video on the train to work. I kept repeating to myself "slow breaths Gess". I remembered my previous reaction to the murder of Philando Castile. How I burst into tears and sobbed in public like he was my own brother. How the white people on the train tried their best not to make eye contact and the black people gave me looks of comfort. I didn't want to lose control the way I did before. 

Now I sat watching this new video. This new video with the same old familiarity. A black man on the side of the road because his car broke down, was confronted and shot by police for looking like a "big bad dude" to them. His name was Terrence Crutcher. The next day another black man was shot in his car while waiting for his son. His name was Keith Lamont Scott. 

I have reached a point where I'm not surprised by these incidents and I expect more of them to occur. The outrage is felt for a few weeks through rally's, protests and news coverage and then it dies down until the next injustice. Picket signs and catchy chants are not making a difference. Yes it brings light to the issue and gets people talking, but not enough movement towards change. What can we do when protesting isn't enough?

I think back to when protesting made a difference. When protests resulted in actual change. What comes to mind the most was the Montgomery bus boycott. To fight the injustice of segregation within public transportation, 40,000 African American bus riders stopped using the service. Instead, they car pooled with one another or walked to get to their destination. This wasn't just a one day thing. This boycott lasted 381 days. Back then, African Americans made up 75% of Montgomery ridership. This boycott resulted in the U.S Supreme Court ruling that any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

A change was made because white society was beginning to become affected economically. No black bus riders meant 75% of revenue was lost until justice prevailed. Imagine if we could do this in today's times? If as a collective every black person made a decision to boycott UNTIL change is made. And I'm not talking picket signs and marches. I'm talking like refusing to purchase anything from white owned companies until a law is put in place that bans shoot to kill so the suspect can have a chance to be tried fairly. If we don't take a united stand and stick to it until we see results, it's very unlikely that these murders will stop. We as a people have been mistreated since we were forced to come to this land. Isn't it time to truly unify?

You may ask, how is it possible to avoid buying from white owned companies? Where will I eat? Where will I purchase groceries? The problem is we rely on and invest so much into white owned companies that we forgot how to survive on our own. This is the time to research black owned business including black owned farms, markets, retail stores, restaurants, banks, etc. Reach out to the closest black owned businesses in your area and assemble to start a plan to support one another. Let's all get on the same page. If we can make a big enough impact economically, we can push for a change. 

Below are a few links that can get you started. Reach out to the black leaders in you neighborhood and begin a movement in your community:

Black Owned Banks List: http://watchtheyard.com/life/black-owned-banks/

Black Owned Restaurants: http://www.idontdoclubs.com/2016/07/08/black-owned-restaurants/

Black Owned Farms: http://preview.blavity.com/black-farmers-to-buy-from/

Black Owned Grocery Stores: https://blackmainstreet.net/black-farmers-and-grocery-stores-to-buy-from/

Black Owned General Directory: https://www.supportblackowned.com/

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