In 2015, I lived on Druid Hill and Roberts in Baltimore. Even then, I didn’t fully grasp the rich, complex history of this city. When the Freddie Gray uprising occurred, I watched the nation turn its eyes toward my community, trying to make sense of the pain, anger, and resilience we felt. It hit close to home. There were too many names before Freddie Gray—and far too many after. Shortly after, I launched MESS in a Bottle. I felt like my community needed a voice. So I put MESSages on shirts—to speak up, to stand in solidarity, and to spark conversation through the MESS. Now, nearly 10 years after the uprising, so much still hasn’t changed. We are still protesting for Black rights. And today, we are also fighting for basic HUMAN rights. MESS in a Bottle was born out of unrest—but it continues out of hope. Hope that one day, our voices won’t just be heard—they’ll be honored. Until then, we’ll keep saying his name and spreading the MESSage. #MESSinabottle #Baltimore #FreddieGray #SayTheirNames #ThroughTheMESS