Levi Strauss & Co
For Embargo Release
Feb. 1, 2022
Contact: Jennifer R. Farmer, jenniferr@spotlightpr.org
Levi Strauss & Co. to Partner with LIVE FREE to Help Address Gun Violence and Mass Incarceration
Oakland, Calif. – LIVE FREE, an organization dedicated to ending gun violence and mass incarceration, today announced a partnership with Levi Strauss. A long-time supporter of LIVE FREE’s gun violence intervention and prevention work, Levi Strauss has pledged $25,000 to the organization, a photoshoot of leaders working to interrupt the cycle of gun violence, promotion of LIVE FREE’s work from the Levi Strauss social media accounts and other support. LIVE FREE issued the following statement in response:
“Gun violence prevention is a communal responsibility, and LIVE FREE is proud to welcome the support of Levi Strauss,” said Michael McBride, executive director of LIVE FREE. “It is important that companies and individuals from all walks of life see themselves as part of the solution to ending gun violence; it is an issue that impacts us all.”
In addition to their donation, the company will help amplify the LIVE FREE brand and message, organize pop-ups (featuring branded LIVE FREE merchandise) at select Levi stores and help share information on gun violence prevention.
Levi Strauss previously affirmed its commitment to ending gun violence by launching the Safer Tomorrow Fund, designed to support grassroots organizations nationwide working tirelessly toward that very goal. This latest endeavor is a continuation of its work to help ensure that all people, chiefly Black and Brown people, can live free from the threat of gun violence and mass incarceration.
LIVE FREE is a movement of interfaith groups committed to stemming the causes of violence in communities of color. The organization recruits churches to be peacemaker congregations, identifies and engages credible messengers, offers stipends to individuals seeking to leave the gang lifestyle, and organizes peace walks and bedside intervention.
“The pain of gun violence is often under-reported. LIVE FREE seeks to amplify the voices of people closest to the pain of gun violence and mass incarceration,” McBride said.
In addition to supporting LIVE FREE, Levi’s is also highlighting and supporting the work of the Black Future Lab, which works to transform Black communities into constituencies that change the way power operates locally, statewide and nationally.
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