BMOA’s 1st Annual My City’s Fly T-Shirt Competition Strives for Non-Violence in Chicagoland

Lee Edwards | As of Wednesday, April 15, 2015

The Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana kicked-off its first annual My City’s Fly t-shirt competition.
The Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana kicked-off its first annual My City’s Fly t-shirt competition.

Using fashion as a vehicle to promote non-violence, the Black McDonald’s Operators Association (BMOA) of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana recently launched the 1st annual My City’s Fly t-shirt competition.

My City’s Fly aims to use urban fashion and art to start a dialogue among young adults on how they can help prevent violence in their community. The BMOA is encouraging teens to submit their own fun and creative t-shirt designs for a chance to win a cash prize to put towards their scholastic endeavors and a cache of other great prizes and experiences.

“My City’s Fly is a new movement for the youth of Chicago and Northwest Indiana”, said Derrick Taylor, McDonald’s owner operator and BMOA President. “We [BMOA] recognize that our young people are grossly affected by the violence that occurs in our community. We also recognize that these same young people are full of boundless potential and creativity that can help bring positive solutions to the problem. Our goal with this new program is to give them a platform to have their voice heard and supported in the same way that they support our restaurants year-round.”

From now through April 26th, Chicagoland and NW Indiana high school students (ages 13-19) can submit their original t-shirt designs, logos and/or slogans that showcase a message of peace, love and all things Chicago. The student with the best design will be awarded a $2,500 educational cash prize.

Additionally, the winning student will also receive an urban apparel mentorship from VILLA Clothing stores and be paired with urban fashion experts to fine tune their design into a wearable item. The final design will be mass-produced on more than 5,000 t-shirts and given away to schools and community organizations across the city and suburbs. Second and third prize winners will receive $1,000 or $500 in educational cash and additional prizes courtesy of McDonald’s and the BMOA.

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Black McDonald's Operations Association member Keith Allen and Ronald McDonald.

My City’s Fly is presented by the Black McDonald’s Operators Association in partnership with VILLA Clothing and media partners TrueStar Magazine and Power 92.3 WPWX-FM.

“TrueStar is happy to participate in this opportunity giving young people the opportunity to express themselves which is the mission of TrueStar, being able to give young people a voice,” said Na-Tae Thompson, co-founder of TrueStar Magazine. “This will be a great opportunity for young people to showcase their skills and creativity and we’re definitely looking forward to the outcome.”

Albert Ellis, marketing representative for VILLA Clothing Chicago, said that VILLA will giveaway roughly 10,000 t-shirts from May to late August along with purchasing radio advertising in order to promote the winning t-shirt’s message.

“We thought that this would be a cool thing for the youth to come up with some type of slogan, an anti-violence slogan, that we can help impact the community and send a message that we’re just trying to decrease the violence in the community,” said Ellis. “We’re not selling the shirt, this is not something to try and make some revenue off of. It’s about putting a positive message out to the youth.”

Students who wish to enter must submit original artwork in JPG, Word Doc or PDF format to MyCitysFly@gmail.com along with their contact information, high school name and a brief essay description of their artwork and inspiration behind its creation. Finalists and winners will be announced by May 29th via the BMOA’s website and social media handles. No purchase is necessary to participate.

For full contest rules and additional details on how to enter, visit www.BMOAChicagoland.org.

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