BLACK OUT STORIES | Miles Robinson

When presented with the chance to represent myself, club and city in this collaboration between Black Players for Change and Participation Trophy Studio, one of my first thoughts, hype aside, was regarding how I would best capture the moment in a city as artistic as Atlanta. The Blackout Collection is a continuation of Black Players for Change’s ongoing effort to promote and inspire coalitions built towards equity, coalitions that we saw here in Atlanta as diverse groups of people marched, rallied and protested all summer in the name of the countless Black men and women killed. Tie dying this jersey black allowed me to continue BPC’s work while sharing a piece of my story with you and highlighting an area of the city that inspired me this past year. 

I took this jersey to the Beltline. For those not from this city, there’s few better places than the Beltline to capture the fear, creativity, hope and beauty of Atlanta. At a time when the emotions of this city were at a tipping point, I found comfort and inspiration through the artwork of the Beltline. A city once dubbed the “Black Mecca”, Atlanta has never shied away from expressing itself and culture through the art that dominates the streets. The various portraits, quotes, and murals remind us all that 2020 was not a bump in the journey meant to be put in the rear view, but rather a guiding map of what we must aim for as time continues to pass. 

This city is filled with a history and future of Civil Rights giants, but for every MLK Jr, Jon Lewis and Stacey Abrams, there needs to be you and me. The greatest challengers of our times can’t be left to our leaders to solve on their own — they must be propelled by us so that we can give our leaders the strength to enact our vision of unity through equity.