The backlash against the state’s horrendous HB 2 has grown rapidly since the bill’s passage in late March. Some local musicians have joined the fight.
Among them is the metal outfit MAKE, who have released a T-shirt that features governor Pat McCrory’s head framed by the phrase “human garbage.” McCrory’s forehead is emblazoned with MAKE’s logo, too. Guitarist Scott Endres designed the image, while his friend Lauren Caddick re-worked it into a print-friendly version. The band had already put the original image on its Facebook page in early March but decided to put it to use soon after HB 2 passed.
“The morning after, I’m sitting at work, and whenever anything this devastating happens politically, I just feel helpless,” vocalist and guitarist Scott Endres says.
But Endres recalled a speech from Howard Zinn, in which Zinn encouraged young artists to use their platforms and voices to enact change in the world. And so, the T-shirts became a fundraising tool. The proceeds from sales will benefit Southerners on New Ground, an Atlanta-based intersectional activist organization that fights for marginalized communities in the South.
Endres says the band has nearly sold out of its first run of shirts and has plans for another round of orders. In addition to the Human Garbage t-shirts, the band has the design on stickers, too.
Speaking of stickers: Sarah Shook and Erika Libero have led a campaign to print “Safe Space” stickers for businesses to signify their opposition to HB 2. Miles Murray designed the sticker, and yesterday, a brief crowdfunding campaign raised $400 to print them. Any extra money made will go toward printing more stickers.
Shook says the idea was already in the works before the bill passed, but the timing has ended worked out well. The plan is to distribute the stickers (which will also come in a window-cling version) at no cost to businesses, along with a pledge authored by Shook and activism partner Libero. It stipulates that the business will commit to cultivating safe, inclusive spaces and training staff to help maintain them.