Black Lives Matter Protestors Boycott NYFWM

In the days since Philando Castile and Alton Sterling became the most recent casualties in a long history of racial police brutality, protestors have taken to the streets in cities all over the country. One such location for these peaceful protests was New York's Skylight Clarkson Square where New York Fashion Week: Men's has kicked into gear.

Fashion blogger Hannah Stoudemire posted a note to Instagram expressing her disappointment with the fashion industry's lack of acknowledgement regarding the recent injustices:

The Fashion Industry acknowledged the Paris Attacks and The Orlando Shootings, but not once did they acknowledge the innocent black lives lost to police brutality. Today is Day 1 of NYC Men's Fashion Week and I will not attend this year and I know that my presence will not be missed, nor will it matter and business will carry on as usual, but not for me. I'm just not built that way. How do you think I feel as a Black woman who works in this industry?

With her decision to remain absent from this season's shows, Stoudemire organized a peaceful protest outside the venue Tuesday. As young fashionistas arrived to the shows, protestors stood outside with their hands up, wearing shirts that read "Black Lives Matter," "Don't Shoot," and the names of past victims.

Related | Op-Ed: Police Shootings Affect Us All

Stoudemire told Fashionista about her decision to boycott Fashion Week:

"That whole week was very hard for us--I physically grieved them as if they were my own family. So I couldn't wait, and I wrote my idea out. I work in the fashion industry, so I sent the email out to everyone I know--friends, family, supporters--and asked them to forward it to as many people as they knew."

As Fashion Week continues, Stoudemire will continue to boycott the shows.

UPDATE: Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, released the following statement:

"The CFDA supports the important #BlackLivesMatter movement and believes that all lives matter. Fashion is about diversity, and we celebrate this in our NYFW: Men's campaign this season."