SOTRU and Ropeadope are teaming up to celebrate and support American communities – on your shirt.

Can a T-shirt be more than just a T-shirt? What if instead of just a  stylish illustration, it’s design symbolizes a place and the  stories, struggles and triumphs of the people that call that place  home? What if the shirt has a greater purpose than just being a  comfortable garment to wear?

State of the Re:Union (SOTRU) has teamed up with the purveyors of  cool at Ropeadope.com to aid community charities across the country.  Representing select cities from past SOTRU episodes, each of these  designs has been created by an artist local to that area, and  proceeds from each sale go directly to a specific charity in that  community. Featured cities include:

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Brooklyn, New York

These shirts were inspired by our Brooklyn episode, touting artwork from the local Brooklyn artist, Aerosyn-Lex, and the proceeds will benefit Urban Word NYC. These tees are the first of some quality choice threads that have the power to make friends and influence people, or at the very least inspire some interesting conversation.

Las Vegas, Nevada

For those of you out there who like to take a gamble on what they wear, then this tee is certainly worth your while. The SOTRU episode on Las Vegas, NV, exploring the unfamiliar and lackluster side of Sin City.  The local artist, Stephan Maman, created a SOTRU tee that will really get the dialogue going. The proceeds for these shirts will benefit the Shine a Light organization which provides living essentials (water, food, clothing, etc.) and services to those who live in the tunnels beneath Las Vegas.

Los Angeles, California

SOTRU’s Los Angeles episode spotlighting the city of the Angels in California, gave inspiration to the creator of these tees by L.A.’s  Jim Darling, with the proceeds helping the People Assisting the Homeless (PATH). This organization provides the tools that men and women need to help them become self-sufficient and successful at remaining off of the streets.

Austin, Texas

Another opportunity to add to your already profound wardrobe is the tee designed by local Austin, TX artist, Brandon Ortwein. This tee’s design represents some of the interesting characters that are discovered in SOTRU’s Austin episode These proceeds will directly benefit the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM).

Will wearing one of these T-shirts help you change the world? No,  that’s still up to you. But it will showcase your brilliant taste in  public media, look good and benefit programs dedicated to making their communities a better place.

Click here to place your order today.

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About Ropeadope
Ropeadope is a record label and coveted clothing brand that uses the tee shirt as a medium for knowledge and pride. Past collaborations with Blue Note Records, Okayplayer, The Love Movement and others have been well received amongst community tastemakers and fans. Ropeadope’s message has always been one of knowing your history and supporting community. Ropeadope is proud to bring their talents to this collaboration, supporting American communities.

We’ve heard the complaint a million times: social media ironically makes us less social. Though it keeps us up-to-date with each other, online networks can also isolate us behind computer screens and disconnect us from real life. Maybe that’s why Google+ has received so much hype for its group video chat feature, which allows people to actually see and hear each other as they communicate online. Personally, though, I’m even more excited about another lesser-known Website that’s going even further to put the social back in social media.  The site GrubWithUs.com is helping people get past their computer screen barrier and connect at the best possible place: the dinner table.

A Chicago start-up, GrubWithUs uses social media to organize dinners at local restaurants for strangers who want to meet new people. I first heard about the Website when I read a great New York Times article by technology reporter Jenna Wortham, who described her own experience with the service in New York.  After visiting the website and looking at a list of dinners in her city, she opted for Thai food and bought a ticket, which usually cost about $25.  GrubWithUs works with restaurants to coordinate a family style menu for its group dinners, and after making a reservation, guests show up to eat and socialize.

Two college friends named Diashin Sugano and Eddy Lu came up with the idea for GrubWithUs when they moved to Chicago to open a pastry shop and struggled to make new friends.  “We didn’t really know anyone there, and we went to bars and lounges and did the normal thing to make friends, and it was really hard to meet people,” Sugano told the Los Angeles Times this spring when GrubWithUs expanded to Los Angeles. “And one of the social settings where we, and we think most people, feel comfortable in is over dinner — it’s one of the oldest traditions out there.” The idea caught on quickly, and today GrubWithUs organizes dinners in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Austin.

As far as social media sites go, I think GrubWithUs is on to something good. It’s using modern technology to build community beyond our computers, and people are getting excited about it. As Wortham reports in her article, more than 10,000 people have registered with the Website since it began organizing dinners last August.

At the same time, part of me cringes to think that we actually need an online social network to meet people in our communities. I’m reminded of dating Websites like Match.com or eHarmony.com that are quite effective and popular for many people out there. In her article, Wortham asks, “Do we really need the Web to make friends?” and I’d like to believe the answer is no; we can meet people randomly on the streets or though other acquaintances without the assistance of Facebook, Foursquare or even GrubWithUs.

Still, while I hope that community building never depends completely on social media, maybe it doesn’t hurt to harness the Internet for that purpose. As long as we only use social media to complement – not control – our social lives, Websites like GrubWithUs are just another fun way to meet people. At the very least the new meal-based social network has sparked my curiosity, perhaps even enough to try it out myself.

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We want to know:
1.    What do you think of GrubWithUs? Would you ever register for a dinner with strangers?
2.    Do you think we rely too much on social media to meet new people?

This post was inspired by the New York Times article, “Focusing on the social, minus the media,” as well as the Los Angeles Times article, “GrubWithUs looks to take social networking from the Web to the dinner table.”

Marietta Synodis started as an intern for SOTRU and is now our Senior Researcher. She has a knack for finding great stories and in the course of researching for our Los Angeles episode, found an incredibly helpful, community building social media effort called Hidden Los Angeles. Check out Marietta’s post about Hidden Los Angeles and be sure to let us know how you feel about it and about what may be similar efforts in your hometown below.

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Having grown up in San Diego, I definitely have engaged in anti-LA sentiment more times than I should probably admit. You know, it’s so polluted, cement everywhere, wallets (and bodies) full of plastic, Los Angel-less, and lest I not forget the unbearable traffic, traffic, TRAFFIC!  We all know the stereotypes.  But in doing research for our LA episode, I came across the website Hidden Los Angeles: “embracing the depth beneath the shallow.” OK, interest piqued. And, as is often the case with the internet, I found myself an hour later still looking through all the vintage photos, event listings, and intriguing collateral posted throughout the site. (more…)

We are extremely excited to announce that the newest T-shirt of the SOTRU/Ropeadope collaboration, Jim Darling’s Los Angeles design, is now available!

Jim is a celebrated Los Angeles based artist and was able to capture the essence of the area with the type of work PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) do.

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Additionally, as part of a limited promotion, you can catch a sneak listen of our newest episode, Las Vegas: Bright Lights, Big City, Small Town with the purchase of Stephan Maman’s Las Vegas T-shirt.

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Charity: PATH – People Assisting the Homeless
Since 1984 PATH has built a multi-denominational and community based organization with the mission of breaking the cycle of homelessness by empowering people with the tools for self-sufficiency.

From transitional housing and employment centers that help homeless job-seekers develop marketable skills and secure employment to street outreach teams and collaborative partnerships with area civic and philanthropic service providers, PATH is committed to providing “A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out.”

Artist: Jim Darling
Jim Darling grew up in the sprawling suburbs of Dallas, Texas. After high school he headed to Denver Colorado for art school. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Jim works as a fine artist and freelance creative. Darling’s gallery work ranges from intricate ink drawings to layered wood work with illustrative painted skins. Outside, Jim expands his tool set by including found objects and materials. His subject matter lives between play and real. Large issues are often looked at in simplistic terms and are then juxtaposed by intense detail. You can find out more about Jim and his work by visiting his website.

Purchase the Los Angeles shirt here.

Our recent “Sounds of the Re:Union” episode features the old time music and square dance scene in LA. In the episode, one of the people we hear from is Susan Michaels. Susan’s been calling at LA square dances for decades. She also helps to keep the old time tradition in LA alive by teaching a new generation how to call.

One of her mentees, Cory Marie Podielski, has been calling for a little more than a year. We asked Cory some questions about how and why she participates in the LA Old Time scene. Here’s what she had to say: (more…)

El Rey – You Can Never Leave the Music

For our Los Angeles documentary, we teamed up with California Is a Place in an intimate piece that focuses on the day-to-day life of working mariachis. From the daily uncertainty of employment and living conditions to the unquestionable passion and love for the music, State of the Re:Union explores how these practitioners of beloved culture are making their living and making home in LA.

To listen to our radio episode, Los Angeles – Home Sweet Home, or see other related collateral, visit our Los Angeles page. And please start the conversation about this documentary by commenting below.

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Listen to Our Radio Episode, Los Angeles – Home, Sweet Home:

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Los Angeles - Home, Sweet Home