Because of them “We Can” Campaign

 “The Because of Them, We Can” campaign by Eunique Jones Gibson is an initiative she created in order to build an understanding within our youth as to why their dreams are limitless, regardless of the color of their skin. Because of our predecessors we as black people have rights that were once unimaginable. On the campaign’s website  becauseofthemwecan.com Gibson states, “The Because of Them, We Can campaign was birthed out of my desire to share our rich history and promising future through images that would refute stereotypes and build the esteem of our children. While I originally intended to publish the campaign photos, via social media, during Black History Month, I quickly realized how necessary it was to go further,” when explaining the story behind the campaign.
Gibson started this campaign on March 1, 2013, by releasing a photo of a child-inspired Phyllis Wheatley igniting a sense of pride, acknowledgment, and understanding among those receptive of the photo. Almost a year later celebrating Black History Month in 2014, Gibson has received support from the likes of Kerry Washington, Kevin Hart, Janelle Monae, Common, Lisa Price, and Spike Lee who have all been paid tribute to in her campaign. Gibson’s campaign has received national coverage from Bossip, Americaweb.com, Black Enterprise, Buzzfeed, Ebony, Grind, Grio, Joyner, and the Huffington Post as well as being partnered with major television networks such as PBS, BET, and Aspire.
On the campaign’s official website, www.becauseofthemwecan.com there are books, calendars, paraphernalia, and posters available for purchase. Also located on the website is Gibson asking visitors of the website to take a pledge saying, “Because of them, I will honor the sacrifices of my ancestors. I will believe in me. I will pursue my dreams. I will help others along the way.” 
Gibson has also made much of the campaign accessible through social network, Instagram: @becauseofthem. Not only does the campaign highlight well-known African-American trailblazers, it also highlights key parts of Black history that we may not have been aware of as well as Black history in the making. A key part of the campaign is selecting the kids to portray leaders. Gibson and her team host castings in various cities outside of her home state of Maryland. For example, in light of the murder of Trayvon Martin Gibson made it a point to use children specifically from Sanford, Florida in order to further illustrate the message that regardless of how society sees you, black children can be instrumental to the progression of our nation. Gibson having two black sons, Chase and Amari, said it was imperative to emphasize the harsh realities of Martin’s death. Gibson created another campaign made to cater specifically to Martin’s story, the “I am Trayvon Martin” photo campaign highlighting black boys, black men, black girls, and black women. Gibson also highlighted her son Chase in the campaign using the slogan, “One photo. One hoodie. One goal … Justice.”