Heritage Wear - Excellence (Powered by CubeCart)

The design featured below is a testimony to four great men (Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., & Nelson Mandela). These men took risks with their lives to provide freedom for others. They made a conscious decision to speak out about racial oppression, poverty, and voting rights. These t-shirts were inspired by their STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND WISDOM. The design is available in t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, and sweatshirts. All shirts are 100% heavyweight cotton. Please go to the order info page for ordering information. Please scroll down to read their biographies, and click on the links to watch videos featuring their greatness. PLEASE WEAR THE SHIRTS WITH "PRIDE".
This shirt was inspired by the GREATNESS of Dr. King and Malcolm X. It is available in short sleeve t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, and sweatshirts in sizes M-4XLarge.	This is the back design of the "EXCELLENCE" shirt. A percentage of the revenue from this shirt will be donated to The Build The Dream Foundation in honor of Dr. King.
Medgar Evers- Born 7/2/25 near Decatur Mississippi. He served time in the Army beginning in 1943. After serving in Normandy He attended Alcorn College majoring in business administration. At Alcorn he met Myrlie Beasley of Vicksburg, and they were married on 12/24/51. After receiving his degree, he and Myrlie moved to Mound Bayou, Mississippi. While there he established several local chapters of the NAACP throughout the Mississippi Delta, and he organized boycotts of gasoline stations that refused to allow blacks to use their restrooms. In 1954 he applied for admission and was denied to The University of Mississippi Law School. His attempt to integrate the university attracted the attention of the NAACP's national office. He was appointed Mississippi's first field secretary for the NAACP. He and Myrlie moved to Jackson, Mississippi where they started investigations to violent crimes against blacks, and boycotted Jackson merchants who would not sell to blacks. In 1962 he assisted James Meredith in his admission to the University of Mississippi. Please click on the following link to see a video of the controversy caused by James Meredith's admission into the University. James MeredithAfter several protests and demonstrations, James was finally admitted to Ole Miss. This was a major step in securing civil rights in Mississippi. However there was a major riot on the campus of Ole Miss that left two people dead. Because of his involvement with James Meredith and his admission to Ole Miss, Medgar had created several enemies in Jackson. On June 12, 1963 he was shot and killed in his driveway. The legacy of Medgar Evers is present in the state of Mississippi with the significant changes in society. We will forever be thankful for the contributions made by Medgar and others who were determined to "LIVE THEIR LIVES WITH EXCELLENCE"!	Malcolm X- Born 5/19/25 in Omaha Nebraska as Malcolm Little. He was the son Earl Little a baptist minister who was a supporter of Marcus Garvey. Earl's brothers suffered violent deaths by the hands of racist white men, and his uncle was lynched. Earl was an outspoken opponent of racism, and he decided to move his family to Lansing, Michigan. In 1931 Earl was killed in a suspicious death, because of his involvement with Negro Improvement Association. After his father's death Malcolm was sent to live with his sister in Boston. During his teenage years in Boston he spent his time as a street hustler. In 1946 he was arrested for burglary ,and he spent 8 years in prison. In 1952 after his release from prison he met with Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam in Chicago. After joining he Nation Of Islam he changed his last name to X rejecting his idea of a slave name Little. In 1954 he was appointed the leader of the Harlem Mosque. It was at this time he emerged as a national leader who spoke out about the oppression of African-Americans in the United States. In 1958 he married Betty Sanders, and they had six daughters. He continued to speak out about the boiling rage in the African-American communities. Please click on the following link to view a televised discussion with other African-American leaders of the early 1960's. Malcom X/Civil Rights DiscussionIn 1963 he was criticized for speaking out about the murder of President John F. Kennedy. Because of the public outcry of his remarks, Elijah Muhammad banned him from public speaking for 90 days. In 1964 after visiting Mecca he returned to the United States as a Sunni Muslim with a new name, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. He had a press conference to explain his new perspective of race relations. Watch a video of the press conference www.youtube.com/watch .He decided not to accuse all white people of hatred, and he encouraged black people to use their unity to defeat racism. During Malcolm's last year of life he was constantly harrassed with bombings of his home, and several death threats. On February 21, 1965 he was shot several times and killed before speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York. Three men were arrested and convicted of his murder (Norman Butler, Thomas Johnson, and Talmadge Hayer). Malcolm X spent most of his adult life speaking out about the vicious racism that was present during his lifetime. His legacy of liberation and unity will live forever. We will continue to remember his "EXCELLENCE".
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- Born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to the parents of Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. After high school he attended Morehouse College where he was mentored by civil rights leader Benjamin Mays. He graduated from Morehouse in 1948 with a degree in Sociology. Later he graduated as valedictorian from Crozier Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951. In 1953 he married his spiritual connection Coretta Scott. During the same year at age 24 he became pastor of the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church, the most distinguished black church in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1955 he received a Ph.D in Systematic theology from Boston University. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to comply with the Jim Crow law that required her to give up her seat to a white man. This action ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which caused Dr. King's arrest. He was later released from jail, and eventually The Supreme Court of the United States ruled outlawing racial segregation on intrastate buses and all public transport. Dr. King was instrumental in establishing The Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. From 1957 until the March on Washington in 1963, Dr. King and his associates were successful in protesting the racial horrors in the South. Click on the follwoing link to watch Dr. King's historical March on Washington speech www.youtube.com/watch.Dr. King and the leaders of the march made specific demands to end racial segregation in public school, stop police brutality and racial discrimination in employment. On October 14, 1964 Dr. King became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to him for leading non-violent resistance to end racial prejudice in the United States. Dr. King' s leadership in association with SNCC (Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committe) led by Stokely Charmichael (Kwame Ture) was a catalyst in the passing of The Voter's Rights Act of 1965. Because of the bloody march on Selma, Alabama in March of 1965, the nation was embarrassed, and President Lyndon B. Johnson successfully negotiated this legislation through Congress. In 1965 Dr. King's speeches evolved to expose the insanity of the Vietnam War. He did not agree with America's position in South Vietnam, and he warned that America was fighting an unjust war. In 1968 he traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to campaign with Sanitation Workers for better pay and improved working conditions. It was during this "Poor People's Campaign" that Dr. King was killed while standing on a balcony at a Memphis motel. Dr. King died after giving one his most profound speeches, "I Have Been To The Mountaintop". He had a vision that African-Americans would rise up to be accepted in white society, and that they would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife Coretta, and his four children, Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice. It is because of his SACRIFICE AND EXCELLENCE, the world is a better place for all races of people. Watch The Boondock's portrayal of what Dr. King would say if he was alive today www.youtube.com/watch	Nelson Mandela-Born Rolihlahal Mandela in July 18, 1918 in the small village of Mvezo in South Africa. His father was Gadla Mphakanyiswa and he was a member of the royal council of the Thembu people. Mandela's first name "Rolihlahla" means one who brings trouble to himself. This name would be extremely ironic in his life's journey. At the age of seven he was enrolled in grade school. His name was changed to Nelson, named after the British admiral Horatio Nelson. After finishing grade school, in 1937 he enrolled in Fort Hare University where he met his lifelong friend and colleague Oliver Tambo. At the end of his first year at For Hare he was asked to leave because of his involvement with a boycott to protest the University's policies. This would be the start of his civil protest to demand the rights of black South Africans. After leaving Fort Hare he moved to Johannesburg and found work as a law clerk. He completed his college degree at the University of South Africa. He went on to study law at The University of Witwatersrand. After receiving his law degree, he and Oliver Tambo started a law firm assisting black South Africans with free or low cost legal counsel. In 1956 he and members of The African National Congress were arrested because of their protest of Apartheid (Segregation). He was eventually acquitted on all charges, and in 1959 Mandela fled the country to met with other African leaders in Algeria. He wanted a more aggressive approach to dismantle Apartheid, and in 1961 he became the leader of the ANC"s armed wing, and he coordinated a terrorist campaign against white South African military, government, and civilian targets. On August 5th he was arrested for his actions trying to overthrow the Apartheid regime of South Africa. On June 12th, 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life impisonment. He spent the majority of his imprisonment on Robben Island. On February 11, 1990 he was released from prison, and he made it clear that the ANC's armed struggle would not be over until Apartheid was abolished. Click on the following link to watch a BBC report of his release from prison www.youtube.com/watch. His main focus after release from prison would be to bring peace to the black majority, and give them the right to vote in both national and local elections. On April 27, 1994, Mandela became the country's first black president of South Africa. He has continued to fight for the rights of opressed people all over the world. His life is an inspiration to all of us to be determined and focused in using our EXCELLENCE to overcome any obstacles in our way. The world is a better place because of his actions!