Refugee Raised — Canvas Tote Bag

Refugee Raised — Canvas Tote Bag

This is the piece to wear if you have been raised by refugees. Raised by the resilience, love, grit and promise of parents or carers who had to leave their known for the unknown. And, with it, had to adapt to new culture, language, food and life. This is the piece to wear if you are proud of your refugee heritage or being part of a migrant story. This is a thank you to our refugee raisers; a visual paean to the ones that whispered dreams in mother tongues, the ones that sang us lullabies; song stories of home, the ones that fed us rice, sauces, foods from lands they had to leave. This piece is a statement about how refugee mothers, fathers, siblings, aunties, uncles and carers have raised us up - some with little to no resources - relying on stories, love and heart. This is a thank you to the refugees who raised us and made us, us.

The inspiration from this design comes from my grandmother who crossed the Mekong river to bring her family, including my mom, to safety. The Secret War in Laos brought death and destruction to their hometown so they fled to Thailand to seek refuge. Months later, they were all flown to the US and arrived in 1976.

Details:

• 100% cotton canvas, heavy 12 oz/yd² for durability
• Flat corners for a slim, structured silhouette
• Self-fabric carrying handles with reinforced stitching
• Available in natural and black; sewn-in label
• Blank product sourced from India; adult sizing

Care:

• Do not iron directly over the printed area — print may stick to the iron
• Spot clean
• Do not bleach
• Line dry