www . voteordie . org
Vote or Die : Sean John Relaunches Classic Campaign With a Message More Urgent Than Ever
When Sean John launched its first “ Vote or Die ” campaign in 2004 , America was still emotionally recovering from the 9 / 11 terrorist attack , we ’ d waged war on Iraq , and the second term of George W . Bush ’ s presidency was at stake — and many of us couldn ’ t have imagined those stakes could possibly get higher .
Fast-forward 16 years , and the slogan “ Vote or Die ” feels terrifyingly literal as we contemplate the possibility of another four years of a Trump presidency . Not only are we in the throes of a pandemic that has resulted in over 200,000 deaths , millions of infections , and arguably could ’ ve been contained months ago , had we had a competent and compassionate administration at the helm . Instead , we are watching a sycophantic leader attempt to gaslight the public into believing that since he has survived the coronavirus ( after receiving all the best and most expedient treatment our taxpayer money can buy ), the rest of us pedestrians have nothing to fear .
With this in mind , “ Vote or Die ” has indeed taken on new meaning , making a relaunch of Sean John ’ s now-iconic tee — part of a capsule collection including several other ofthe-moment , message-driven designs — more timely than ever .
“ If not now , when ?” asks one T-shirt design — and with three short weeks to go before our next election and not only the presidency but everything from local offices , to Senate seats up for grabs ( as well as the future of the Supreme Court ), it ’ s a valid question . While Sean John itself may be celebrity-founded ( we see you , Diddy ) and has plenty of well-known supporters , the campaign focuses on the everyday people most affected by bad governmental policies , also launching several powerful videos driving home why our votes matter more than ever , across generations .
By Maiysha Kai Guest Columnist , The Root