January 15, 2020 3 min read

Dreaming makes us human. As we rest nightly our brains blur the lines between reality and make-believe.

A dream helped start this brand, and like others, people across the globe dream of things like better days, starting businesses and bettering their community. One of the most famous dreams in history was Martin Luther King JR.'s as he dreamt of a future free of racial inequality.

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For the second year in a row, we're celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with purpose by offering a limited-edition sneaker daypack with matching sweater and donating a portion of the proceeds to the MLK Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change.

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But unlike last year, we're expanding our reach by collaborating with clothing brand, Dream On, to deepen our connection to the dreams of the masses and the dreams of Martin Luther King JR. This year's collection will feature Dream On's signature branding on the front of our travel-ready Triple Black V3 Sneaker Daypack.

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We prominently stitched the phrase "Dream On" for a couple of reasons; it's easy to think: Dream on... MLK Jr...I Have A Dream'speech... all very simple. It goes deeper than that though, as defined by our partner on this collection, "Dream On" is a spin on the negative. We've all been told, "yeah right. Dream On" but it's very easy to flip that negative into a positive. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do something - drop the "yeah right" and dream forward, dream on.

There was much more to Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech than the famous line "I have a dream." Real talk, the phrase wasn't spoken until the fourth page of his speech - Dr. King's aspirations and goals stretched far beyond a single dream. He beckoned to the fundamental promise made to all Americans by our Founding Fathers, the promise that we are all free, regardless of skin color or creed. He scrutinized the fact that America hadn't upheld its promise of "unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Since his death, America has changed for the better on so many levels, but we still have so far to go before we reach real equality - the job isn't done.

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The founder and our partner on this collab, Sebastian Valdes of Dream On, feels the same kind of way about his brand.

"I look back and see that I [and the brand] have come so far from the beginning and it's amazing. But there's still work to be done."

That's such a powerful mindset, and it's a mindset Dr. King could've appreciated. Of course Dr. King saw how the world had been changing for the better in his lifetime, but he also understood that it was oh so very far from equal, fair or just towards his community and People Of Color on the whole. Within that same vein, since the 1960's we've come even further but it feels like daily we hear something in the news that reminds us of how far we still truly are.

We here at the Shrine Co. feel the same way; we're so proud of our work but the grind towards greatness never ends. That's why we're pumped for our Martin Luther King Jr. Day collections - especially our partnership alongside Dream On for our 2020 offerings. Don't forget, proceeds from every sale will go back to the MLK Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change foundation/fund to make sure we do our part in keeping the spirit of Dr. King's dream alive. Thank you for your support.

Order your MLK set here:

http://bit.ly/DreamOnxTheShrineMLK


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