Tucked alongside the Alabama River, you’ll discover Boykin, dwelling to a crew of legendary artisans stitching generational tales and traditions into intricate textile marvels. Known as the Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers, these girls are the fingers behind the works that sit on the coronary heart of American artwork historical past. In February, the group have been the primary honorees of adidas‘ Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) initiative, bringing their daring, geometric designs to a limited-edition NCAA jersey assortment for the event.
On June 24, the complete Capstone celebration arrives in Atlanta with the HBE expertise, curated by creative duo Rog & Bee Walker, spotlighting brokers of change, like the ladies of Gee’s Bend, and the indelible marks they’ve made inside their very own communities, artistic lanes and past. The 2025 iteration visualizes the person impacts of those cultural architects right into a daring narrative tapestry embodying the innovation, resilience and collective brilliance of Black excellence.
The expertise presents a variety of movie, images, archival artifacts and dwell performances centered across the theme “Pathways & Pipelines.” “With this expertise, we wished to create one thing that doesn’t simply honor Black excellence — it embodies it. These tales aren’t advised via a distant lens; they’re lived, felt and remembered,” the Walker’s expressed. “We hope it invitations folks to witness, mirror and in the end really feel related to one thing better than themselves.”
Since its inception in 2019, this system has been steadfast in amplifying the visions of Black luminaries via neighborhood engagement, philanthropic initiatives and direct funding in community-based establishments. This 12 months’s version, centered across the theme “Pathways & Pipelines,” will even honor Sekou Thornell, the founding father of streetwear label Kitboys Membership and Jaycina Almond, the thoughts behind Tender, a grassroots basis rewriting narratives round single motherhood.
In tune with the Capstone, adidas and Rog & Bee are debuting Hero Movie — a short-form, cinematic love letter, gathering every honoree’s story into an iridescent portrait of resilience, creativity and the long run forward.
Head to the HBE web page to be taught extra about this 12 months’s program
