supporting black-owned businesses: ‘you matter’ by demetrius harmon

writing piece by Gracie Brown

Creating something beautiful amidst pain and agony is often near impossible. Our emotions torment us so much that we feel unable to build,for fear of collapse. Even as we sit doing nothing, we are overcome with feelings of insecurity and an inability to foresee the future:it is in these moments our creativity and motivations are at their absolute weakest, the feeling of a mental blockade to all expression,painful and frustrating. Despite this,Entrepreneur Demetrius Harmon shows how the best of things can come out of the darkest times with his ‘You Matter’ clothing line.

Demetrius Harmon(22) started out on Vine and Youtube,building his channel seven years ago and since then,accumulating 443,000 subscribers. Initially the channel was comedy-focussed but quickly became a platform for Harmon to share and raise awareness of mental health in teens and young adults. His channel uniquely shared personal and important information on the topic of mental health,while remaining a Comedic channel,keeping his audience interested and aware.

His short-film on Youtube,‘Be Happy’,tackled the problems he faced as a black man dealing with depression and anxiety, the denial and shame he received from friends and those around him who failed to understand the reality of his struggles. Based off of one single post-it note Harmon would write to himself during times of need, Harmon released his first collection of ‘You Matter’ hoodies in November of 2017.

Since then, Harmon has released multiple different colourways and collections of the hoodies.For many,his hoodies have become a symbol of comfort in their darkest of times,the words ‘I feel weak’ and ‘But I know I’m strong’, embroidered onto the wrists of the product as a reflection of hope for those self-harming.

“I made this hoodie so someone reads my shirt and walks away feeling important, feeling like they belong on this earth. I made this hoodie because I care. I made this hoodie for my friends who struggle with depression and break down crying to me because they don’t know how much longer they can keep going, I made this hoodie to start a conversation... and this is just the beginning.” Demetrius Harmon

For the past couple years,Harmon has released a variety of ‘You Matter’ products in celebration of Black History Month,each differing from the last,this year’s collection featured his newest creation, ‘You Matter Now and Forever’ shirts,alongside the classic ‘You Matter’ hoodies. As expected,these sold out at a rapid pace,however this June,he released a second round of these items to raise money for vital organisations in the Black Lives Matter movement across America;100% of the profits of the collection went to Black Lives Matter Los Angeles,Black visions Minnesota, The Ruth Ellis centre and the Detroit Justice Center.

Demetrius Harmon is known for his generosity when it comes to donations,donating a whopping $50,000 dollars to the Nanny Angel Network Breast Cancer Organisation.Raising the funds solely through the sale of his Breast Cancer Awareness,’You Matter’ hoodies.His regular edition hoodies also share their profit with the JED foundation,a non-profit mental health foundation working to protecting the emotional health of teens,and preventing suicide in teens and young adults.

In addition to this,a portion of his profit now goes towards GiveDirectly’s Covid-19 fund and supporting families in need during this pandemic.

Where can I get one?

Whilst they definitely sell out quickly,the purchase of one of these portable hugs is definitely doable. ‘You Matter’ merchandise is available to be purchased on Harmon’s website ,https://www.shopdemetriusharmon.com/ .Hoodies are sold for $65 and everything else is sold for below that;he often releases new collections as the seasons change,with occasional special edition pieces in between. Time to time,he also gives them away!

@santiaramos on instagram

While this isn’t the cheapest form of self-care,it is definitely a staple of mine and thousands of others,with good reason:donating to important causes,funding black-owned businesses and receiving a quality piece for your wardrobe. This is only the start for Demetrius Harmon,an innovative,creative and caring individual who has built himself up from the ground and suffers what so many others do also;using his own personal experiences to shed light on what is so easily ignored in today’s world,and creating a monumental piece of clothing to spread this essential mental health awareness,Demetrius Harmon is a driving force in ending the stigma of mental health in black communities and building a greater future,where everyone matters.