The origins of Black Lives Matter (BLM) started in response to the death of 17-year-old aeronautical science enthusiast, Trayvon Martin. The young man, who was returning home after buying Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea, died at the hands of a racist neighborhood watch volunteer in February 2012. Records indicate that it took forty-four days for the killer to be arrested, only to be acquitted by a jury of primarily white women.

The origins of Black Lives Matter (BLM) started in response to the death of 17-year-old aeronautical science enthusiast, Trayvon Martin. The young man, who was returning home after buying Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea, died at the hands of a racist neighborhood watch volunteer in February 2012. Records indicate that it took forty-four days for the killer to be arrested, only to be acquitted by a jury of primarily white women.

B.C. in the case of Nathaniel Mary Quinn stands for “Before Charles.” You see, the artist had been teaching for a decade while making paintings afterhours in his Bed-Stuy apartment/studio. With hopes of one day becoming an artist-in-residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem, he seemed content with the life he and his wife, Donna, were nurturing. This was a long way from the infamous Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago where, at age 15, his young life was shattered after being abandoned by his father and three older brothers two months following his mother’s passing.

Since her award-winning success at Teen Vogue, which included the First Teen Vogue Summit in 2017 that brought together attendees from across the world to galvanize social change, Elaine has had much to celebrate. Not only did she complete a whirlwind international tour to promote the book, but this past spring she celebrated her union with husband Jonathan Singletary in a socially distanced, Brooklyn stoop, fairytale wedding and epic block party