The American criminal justice system currently holds nearly 6.5 million people in its claws, and it imprisons more people per capita than any other country in the entire world.  

But beyond their criminal records, these Americans are mothers & fathers, daughters & sons, sisters & brothers, aunts & uncles, cousins, and friends. And I didn’t really think about what mass incarceration meant on a micro level until the fall of 2016...

Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to do my part to stand up to injustice and imbalance. It's always just been a part of who I am- all because of Grant Blvd.  

That’s the block where I grew up on the Northside of Milwaukee, in the brick house on the corner- a home my parents bought while working at the post office.

And when they weren't at work, my parents were fighting for the things they believed in. My dad wanted to make sure that people living near MLK Drive had access to fresh food. That was the mission of our family business, King Drive Deli. My mom spent time on weekends going to Taycheedah, a women’s correctional institution, to counsel incarcerated women. As kids, my sisters and I, we knew these things.

I think most of us want to do our part to solve the things we see as serious social issues. For me, it’s become about bringing attention to the consequences of mass incarceration and the need for criminal justice reform. It’s also about proposing a solution to addressing the larger global crisis that is the destruction of our environment. How? By shifting our expectations of the fashion industry to include a higher demand for sustainable approaches. 

I think we can all choose to care less- which given the demands on our time and attention, I can understand. Or...we choose to do what seems so often much more challenging. We choose to care MORE. Let's :) 

All the best, 

Kimberly McGlonn

CEO & Founder, 

Grant Blvd