Russ is doing his part to raise money for the Black Lives Matter movement amidst nationwide protests against the unjust police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. On Twitter, he announced his plans to reissue a 2017 t-shirt with 100 percent of the profits going to donations. The shirt includes a message that reads, “If you want to change the system speak up, white silence is pro racism.”
Y’all raised 158K in 24hrs for Black Lives Matter!!
LETS KEEP IT GOIN
RT & @ someone who needs the shirt and wants to help speak up!!
all off one t shirt..crazy 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Awxxu5mRbv
— SANTIAGO (@russdiemon) May 31, 2020
On May 30, Russ put the shirt up for sale and had raised over $10,000 in less than 10 minutes. Within 24 hours, he had crossed the $150,000 barrier.
The significance of the shirt dates back to 2017 when Russ first cleared one million followers on Twitter. Streetwear brand KidSuper was commissioned to commemorate the moment. KidSuper founder Colm Dillane said in a statement, “He called me and we ere discussing what to wear. This was the first time Russ really had a huge platform and we thought let’s make some shirts that can actually make a difference. We came up with 5 shirt ideas, this was one of them… Be on the right side of history.”
gonna sell this and donate all the money https://t.co/2NSnkRR5sK
— RUSS (@russdiemon) May 30, 2020
Russ’ efforts are an attempt to educate and help other white individuals understand the gravity of the situation going on across the country, the T-shirt idea is a simple gesture.