Created to celebrate Black History Month, the USL BPA have dropped the ‘Dream in Color’ scarf, which has been designed by Sacramento Republic FC defender Duke Lacroix.
Pulling from the influence of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech given on August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Sacramento Republic’s Duke Lacroix joined forces with USL graphic artist T.J. Grier to create the ‘Dream in Color’ scarf. The design embodies the core values and feelings that power the work of the USL Black Players Alliance.
“Dreaming in color I think encompasses the idea of the multitude and fluidity of life,” said Lacroix. “There are a lot of things in life that we can’t see in black and white, kind of reminiscent of the struggle of being African American in this country. You want to encompass everyone’s unique perspective and to honor that history that we’re not this binary system of things, we’re each individual people. That was the primary inspiration behind the words there.”
As the son of Haitian parents who emigrated to the United States, Lacroix’s secondary themes of “Honor the Past” and “Inspire the Future” found on the opposite side of the scarf embody what Black History Month means to him and others.
“I think you have to honor your history,” said Lacroix. “To honor the past of being Black in this country is I think where you have to draw a line. You can’t get away from that, and that’s not to say these things still aren’t ongoing, or as bad as they were in the past, but they happened.
“We need to honor that and be thankful and grateful as I’m thankful for the people that laid the foundations for the life I’m currently living – I’ve been blessed for that – while at the same time pushing for the future and looking to leave a mark like Dr. King preached all the time, inspiring the future, being someone the younger generation can look up to, to leave the world, the community, better than you found it.”
Proceeds from the scarf will benefit Footy’s Got You, a Charlotte-based charitable initiative created by former Charlotte Independence Goalkeeper and founder of Backyard Footy, Hugh Roberts. Recipients of the proceeds are Block Love, a Charlotte-based organization whose mission is to provide restoration, resources, education and essential tools to the individuals that occur hardship in the local community, and Amobi Okugo's Ok U Go Foundation, whose mission is to work to provide the necessary tools, avenues, and exposure for children to use their talents and passions to make their mark in society.
Pick up the USL BPA Black History Month Scarf at shop.uslsoccer.com
