Introducing The Black Lives Matter Tee

At Piccolina, we are on a mission to empower today's young girls to become tomorrow's trailblazers and problem solvers. And while we design everything at Piccolina with the intention of showing young girls that there is no limit on what is interesting, aspirational or achievable in life, we know that this mission must go beyond clothing. And if we've learned anything this year, it's that together, we are stronger. That's why we're proud to partner with on-the-ground organizations doing the work to help improve the lives of children across the world.

This week, we launch a very special partnership for our new Black Lives Matter tee. Showcasing a joyful depiction of today's youth - a new generation of future trailblazers - the print features artwork by artist Erin Robinson, who you may remember from our illustrated portraits of Katherine Johnson and Maya Angelou. 100% of net proceeds from this collection will go toward National CARES Mentoring Movement, a pioneering community-galvanizing movement dedicated to helping Black children in low-income families and unstable communities secure the social, emotional and academic supports they need to unleash their potential.

Originally founded as Essence CARES in 2006 as a response to Hurricane Katrina by then editor-in-chief of Essence Magazine Susan L Taylor, their mission is to transform the lives of Black children by inspiring, recruiting and mobilizing masses of caring Black men and women to mentor and nourish, challenge and champion them.

To date, they have recruited more than 150,000 mentors who have served more than 200,000 children. Anchored by a 58 U.S-city affiliate network, National CARES is the nation's recognized leader in the recruitment, training and engagement of African American mentors, and the only organization providing holistic programming on a national scale to undergird and advance impoverished Black children by providing them with the emotional, social, academic and career-readiness support they must have to become self-sustaining, successful contributors to our society.

Their group-mentoring programs for children, THE RISINGS, are designed to support young people who are disproportionately at risk of falling outside the mainstream education and workforce systems. They use culturally anchored and healing-centered approaches to engage, train, and deploy volunteer mentors, and also work with adults who encircle their students, such as educators, school administrators and parents.

This year has undoubtedly been a tumultuous one for many, but instead of feeling hopeless - we are feeling inspired to show up and take action. We invite you to join us in supporting National CARES through our new Black Lives Matter tee, available for purchase here. You can also donate directly at www.caresmentoring.org.

Want to see this tee in adult sizes? Let us know in the comments below!