In early 2020, Senior Lyric Amodia at Howard University founded The Movement Street Organization Inc. It aims to combine creativity and service by creating socially conscious streetwear for outreach programs in the cities the organization serves.
Movement Street is a women-run organization operating out of the DMV, Flint, and Detroit, Michigan. With Amodia’s connection to Flint, her passion for service began as a cry for help from her family and friends to raise her awareness of the Flint water crisis.
The Flint water crisis is a public health problem that began in 2014 after the city’s drinking water was contaminated with lead and Legionella bacteria. Many people got sick because the city did not respond properly to this problem. Originally from Germany, Amodia started her campaign that will last her a lifetime because she knew she had to do something for the city she loved so dearly.
“When I got to the states and went home, I found out that one of my hometowns was on national television because they were suffering from environmental racism,” Amodia said. I wanted to do this for my family, I wanted to do this for us…”
Amodia created t-shirts with the help of volunteers to raise money for this cause. This collection is named 810 H2O Collection because his two in H2O are water droplets. Funds from the collection were returned to the community to end the crisis. Since the H2O collection, The Movement Street has collaborated more with the community to ensure that people’s voices and causes are heard. An example of their work is buying Thanksgiving groceries for over 50 families each year. To make this happen, the organization enlists the help of volunteers.
Volunteer Carlos Eldridge Jr., a senior political science major and history minor from Waldorf, Maryland, believes Movement Street is a dedicated and selfless organization.
“They are loyal to the needs of whatever community they belong to,” says Eldridge. “I feel like a lot of organizations try to do their job, but it’s a movement to see what work is already being done and how you can help. I have.”
Another way The Movement Street gives back to the community is by enabling Black-owned businesses and artists to participate in “Creative Classics” and showcase their talents.
“Creative Classics” provides a forum for Black people to showcase their talent in the arts, community, and access a variety of networking opportunities. “Creative Classics” will take place on February 18, 2023 at his MLK Public Library Auditorium.
Jordyn Britton is one of the event planners putting together this year’s festival. She said Howard and her community are very excited to see what the organization is working on.
“We wanted to create a space where black creatives could network and see each other’s work. We wanted to provide a platform where artists could freely present their work. I’m really excited,” she said enthusiastically.
The Movement Street will start submitting “Creative Classics” soon and hope to see many of you there. Whether you’re a poet, artist, or entrepreneur, Creative Classics is the perfect place to showcase your talent. ) to stay up to date with The Movement Street.
Copy edited by Chanice McClover-Lee
