Wear Your Protest
Los Angeles — Confederacy boutique located on Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles celebrated the launch of the Falling Whistles “5 Boy Collection” on Friday, November 9.
Falling Whistles is a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, campaigning for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In 2008, founder Sean Carrasso was traveling along the Eastern Congo where he met five refugee child soldiers imprisoned in a military camp. One of the boys shared his story about being on the frontline, armed with only a whistle; the young boys were too young to carry weapons, the boy shared. He continued, the children sent to the frontline are the first to be killed, using their fallen bodies as blockade for soldiers to hide.
When Carrasso returned home, he wrote a blog post, sharing the story about the young boys who fled from rebel militias and passed it along to family and friends. As soon as he arrived back to the states, he started the Falling Whistles petition, exposing the conditions in the DRC.
Using the whistle as a “symbol of protest,” and "blowing the whistle"as a sign of solidarity to raise awareness around the current conflict, politicians, celebrities, college students, parents and activists, alike started to show their support.
With proceeds from the whistle sales used to implement “Congolese visionaries,” a coalition of resistance for change began to ensue.
In just four years, the Falling Whistles campaign has gained global support, advocating for peace in war-effected areas of the Congo. The organization has raised money for “8 Congolese visionaries, built a coalition of 35 congressman, 16 senators, 200 retail partners and over 55, 000 whistle blowers in hopes to build stability in the DRC.”
Carrasso said, "The new whistle is part of the "5 Boys Collection," inspired by a moment when we learned that 2 boys had been forced to fight for opposing rebel groups. When I asked if that made them enemies, one kissed the other and said 'We are only boys. How can we be enemies?'"
"The "5 Boys Collection" asks that same question of a young and interconnected world - how can we be enemies?," Carrasso added.
The current collection features five different colorways - a matt finish in Ox Tip and White Tip, as well as a Cast Iron Tip, Ox Gloss Tip, and Chrome Tip.
Whistles in the “5 Boys Collection” retail for $59 and can be purchased online at FallingWhistles.com, as well as in select retailers around the world.
This season, Falling Whistles will go to five major cities - Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Miami and London, hosting events at key retailers to celebrate the launch of the collection and spread “a vote for peace in the Congo.”
