FOR EVERYONE’S COLLECTIVE AIMS TO BREAK THE INCARCERATION BARRIERS
By: Erica Commisso
One of art’s key functions is to make a statement and, in many cases, that means a political one. For Everyone Collective certainly fits that bill, employing formerly incarcerated individuals and their loved ones to create a collection of gender-neutral pieces that make multiple statements: they are artistically bold and call for social justice changes.
From abolitionist messaging like ‘All My Homies Hate Prisons’ to art that supports trans rights and gender equality emblazoned on stickers, tees and totes, the core values are clear: For Everyone Collective believes in creating a world that treats everyone fairly and offers equal opportunity for people from all walks of life.
Source: For Everyone Collective Website
The idea of reform starts from within: For Everyone Collective’s employment policies reflect the kind of world its people want to help cultivate: The collective pays above living wage ($20 an hour or more) and shares all profits equally among its members, and provides free dental, health and life insurance to all of its members, who are all locals within the Grand Rapids, Michigan area impacted by incarceration, meaning they may therefore otherwise have experienced barriers to access. What’s more, the collective also offers free loans and unlimited paid time off, which can also combat the barriers people affected by incarceration face.
When conflict does arise, For Everyone Collective solves it through its regular circles, which are designed to maintain peace among the artists and handle problems as they come up. The team also gives care packages to those who have been freshly released from incarceration, aiming to foster a sense of community that rejects policing and instead builds itself up and encourages members to support each other.
The essential idea, then, is that caring is a political practice, and caring from within allows For Everyone Collective to imagine a world in which people cooperate instead of conquer each other.
Source: For Everyone Collective Website
Incarceration, in particular, remains an issue in the United States where over 2 million people are currently imprisoned–the largest incarcerated population in the world by far. However, the collective takes it one step further, encouraging abolition and a re-connection with nature and respect for the planet–everything is printed on materials that work with the earth’s cycles, and the collective, which was originally founded in 2018 under the moniker Forgive Everyone, also does community organizing to encourage the almost utopian ideals of transformative justice it promotes.
The company’s founder, Skyler Rich, is the only ‘non-impacted’ person in the entire company, and For Everyone Collective opened its first brick and mortar store in Grand Rapids in 2023 and has grown to print thousands of shirts a week. The physical store is managed by roughly a dozen people, all of whom co-own the brand through its profit share model, and the company’s marketing campaigns, like a 2023 project that depicted photos of formerly incarcerated models holding framed photos of loved ones, further the abolitionist messaging.
Partnerships with The Last Prison Project and other initiatives also allow For Everyone Collective to use its annual revenue–which is in the neighborhood of $1 million–to raise awareness, fuel conversation, spark healing, and break down the barriers to employment for those who have been affected by incarceration in the United States, and to help inspire others and drive change–creating a more equitable, more healed world.