MSD grad wants to change world, one artwork at a time

When thousands of people bought an innovative T-shirt with an American flag on it, a Stoneman Douglas graduate knew why it surged in popularity.

Jammal Lemy, 20, of Coral Springs, knew because he designed it himself.

Lemy, the creative director of the “March for Our Lives” movement, has become the fashion intellect behind the group’s thousands of shirts and hats, which urge the public to vote. The ultimate goal is to enact legislation that curbs gun violence and makes a difference in the world.

Now, he’s working on new merchandise surrounding the launch of a new campaign to keep the group’s momentum going into the November elections.

“We’re going to keep the synergy and encourage people to get out and vote,” said Lemy, who graduated from Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High two years before the mass

shooting that killed 17 people there. “At the end of the day we want to save lives.”

Getting creative

One of the shirts Lemy designed has a modern twist: A shirt with an American flag in which a QR code takes the place of the stars. You scan the QR code with your cellphone, and it takes you to a website to register to vote. He also put together a hat with a “no guns allowed” theme.

He uses a mixture of Photoshop and sketching free-hand with ink pens or colored pencils. “I sketch away until I get an idea of what I want to do.”

After the massacre on Feb. 14, students created the March for Our Lives movement and drew national attention, including arranging a rally in Washington, D.C., that attracted hundreds of thousands of people.

Cameron Kasky, one of the group’s founders, whose Parkland house was the central point for group meetings, said Lemy’s work has mattered.

“I think Jammal has the perfect mixture of determination and know-how and idealism,” he said. “He’s got great ideas, great execution and he’s such a great part of the clockwork of the organization.”

Matt Deitsch, chief strategist for March for Our Lives, said it is Lemy’s job to “translate the pain we’ve seen and experienced through an artistic form to connect with people — to bring this new pop culture to shift culture.”

Lemy said the march in D.C. was so inspirational, he decided this year not to return to Florida Atlantic University, where he was a political science and film major. He decided to concentrate on his role as creative director for the group. Though he declined to specify his salary, he is one of three full-time paid staffers with the organization.

He largely works “on the go” or from a March For Our Lives office, he said. Sometimes he gets phone calls at 2 a.m. from a colleague with a design idea.

“We’re working 24 hours,” he said. “The only time we’re not working on this is when we’re asleep.”

AMY BETH BENNETT/SUN SENTINEL March For Our Lives creative director Jammal lemy is shown in his garage studio where he first started designing t-shirts at his Coral Springs home.