In the Virgin Islands, your name is your map.
When someone says “He’s a Wells” — this means something. It tells the community exactly whose legacy you’re carrying forward.
My father, Winston Wells, has a ballpark named after him in Cruz Bay. My grandmother Ellen Pickering fed me dumb bread and bush tea many mornings. My mother, Alecia Wells, taught at Charlotte Amalie High School, and I’d sit in the back of her classroom after school getting a double education without even knowing it.
I grew up in Love City, and Love City gave me everything.
This photo was taken in May 1995 on an inexpensive 35mm film camera the day I graduated from Bryant University. It doesn’t have filters. It doesn’t have perfect lighting, but it captures something no camera technology could ever manufacture — love, perseverance, and legacy in its purest form.
The woman on the left is my grandmother, Ellen Pickering. She left school after the 3rd grade to go to work to help provide for herself and her siblings. She pushed education harder than anyone I have ever known. She made sure her children and grandchildren had what she never got.
The woman on the right is my mother, Alecia Wells. She attended All Saints Cathedral School — the same school I graduated from. She then attended Bryant College when it was still in downtown Providence, RI. Her graduation in 1969, was held in an open field ... .the very field that would become the new campus in Smithfield, RI where I graduated 26 years later.
Two women. Two journeys. One photo. And a legacy that started long before that fountain, that cap, and that Kente cloth.
This is the infrastructure behind Protect Our Culture. The names. The kitchens. The ferry rides. The sacrifices made in silence so the next generation could stand a little taller.
Whose legacy are you carrying forward? 🎙️
ProtectOurCulture.com 🌐☝🏾
Their story deserves to be heard. 🎙️
Not summarized. Not paraphrased. In their own words.
Ask your parents. Your grandparents. Your aunts and uncles.
The who. The what. The why. The when. The where.
Because culture doesn’t protect itself…..we do.
Join the movement + sign up for the newsletter at ProtectOurCulture.com (link ☝🏾 in bio)
The Clock Has Been Reset. And He Was Wearing adidas. ///
Yesterday, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya did something the entire running world has chased for decades. He crossed the finish line at the 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30 — becoming the first person in history to run an official, competitive marathon in under two hours.
He shattered the previous world record by 65 seconds. On The Mall. Sprinting past Buckingham Palace. In front of the world.
Let that sink in. Under. Two. Hours.
For those of us who live at the intersection of sport, culture, and sneakers 🤞🏾 — Sawe crossed that finish line in adidas, and after the race he held up his shoe with the time written right on the sole: 1:59:30 WR SUB2. Written by hand. Raw. Unfiltered. That shoe is an artifact of history now. Full stop.
But the moment that made me stop scrolling? Nike’s response.
On a clean black card, the Swoosh posted: “The clock has been reset. There is no finish line.”
No shade. No chest-puffing. Just straight acknowledgment of greatness from a competitor. Nike didn’t have the shoe on the record-breaker — but they understood the assignment. This moment belongs to all of us.
Sawe said it best: “For the new generation, to run a record is possible. Everything is possible with a matter of time.”
I’ll add — everything is possible with the right preparation, the right mentality, and apparently, the right shoes on your feet. 👟
To Sabastian Sawe: you didn’t just break a record. You broke a ceiling. The kind that makes the next generation believe the impossible is just the next goal.
The clock has been reset. What are you building toward? ⬇️
((WATCH NOW)) KNOW YOU GOT SOLE PART 2 WITH Astor Juliana @astorjr95 of @crooklyn.vintage
We discuss his experience in vintage sportswear collecting and the origins of Crooklyn Vintage
#osdlive #knowyougotsole #crooklynvintage #sneakers
((WATCH NOW)) KNOW YOU GOT SOLE PART. 2 "LOS' GEMS"
Check out Los' classic story and heartfelt tribute to 2 dearly departed legends of our culture.
AND..Tap that Shopping Bag Icon on the bottom left of the video to shop for Classic Material items seen in parts 1 & 2 of this episode.
#knowyougotsole #osdlive #classicmaterial #sneakers
Ballers 🏀 ball
The women’s Final Four teams face off on 4/3/2026 in Phoenix, AZ, and I know that the games are going to be exciting!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🙏🏾🎊☝🏾
📸 courtesy of @espn
Steven @stevensmith Smith, the legendary footwear designer behind a number of classic sneakers that we know and obsess about attended ComplexCon Hong Kong 2026, and proudly wore the @protectourculture Protect Sneaker Culture hat. 🙏🏾❤️🎊☝🏾
