Bob Bland


Mari Lynn Foulger, better known as Bob Bland, is an American fashion designer and activist. Bland co-chaired the 2017 Women's March, but later stepped down from the 2019 Women's March following accusations of anti-Semitism and various internal controversies. She is also the CEO of Manufacture New York.

Early life and education

The daughter of two public school teachers, Bland was born in 1982 in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C. She was sewing by the time she was eight years old and put on her first show in high school, with 32 original creations marching through the cafeteria and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in fashion design.
She served as a youth minister in Pohick Church, and in 2005 when serving as summer staff in a Woods & Waters Workcamp said she wants her charges to "reach out to people and show them what Christ's love is".

Fashion

She worked on the design floor for Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, and in parallel started her own label, Brooklyn Royalty in 2006. Bland attempted to source production locally, but faced difficulties. In 2014 Bland said that her line participated in four to five fashion week events since being founded.

Manufacture New York and ethical fashion

In 2012 Bland founded Manufacture New York which operates a 160,000 square foot industrial plaza in Sunset Park, Brooklyn named Manufacturing Innovation Hub for Apparel, Textiles and Wearable Tech, and a work hive for independent designers. Bland worked closely with congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and solicited grant money from NY city officials, receiving grants from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Growth Accelerator Fund, followed by a $3.5 million grant from New York City. In 2016 the organization was part of an initiative named Advanced Functional Fabrics of America that was awarded $75M federal grant from the Department of Defense.
Following the 2013 Savar building collapse which killed more than 1000 in Bangladesh, Bland has called for on-shoring of the apparel manufacturing industry saying that cheap fashion from off-shored manufacturing exacts a toll in lives and lack of sustainability.

Women's March

Bland was an early member of the Facebook discussions and planning with Teresa Shook that would culminate in the Women's March on Washington and associated international marches held after the inauguration of Donald Trump. She served as the Washington National co-chair of the organization when it was incorporated. Fortune magazine named her and the other public faces of the movement in a list of 100 greatest leaders in relation to the March. Bland originated the idea of the Women's March on Washington and associated international marches held after the inauguration of Donald Trump. Bland tapped Linda Sarsour, Tamika Malory, and Carmen Perez as co-chairs in order to give the march a diverse leadership team.
Bland later criticized the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. According to Bland, white women are complicit in white supremacy as they benefit from it by virtue of being white due to white privilege, and therefore they should let people of color take the lead in the struggle.

Accusations of anti-Semitism

In December 2018 a report by Tablet alleged that in the first meeting between Bland and the two other leaders in the movement, Tamika Mallory and Carmen Perez, Jews were blamed for the marginalization of African Americans and the slave trade. Bland denied that such remarks were made at that meeting. Evvie Harmon, who was present at a later meeting between Mallory, Perez, Linda Sarsour and other key leaders in the movement, stated to Tablet that Perez and Mallory made anti-Semitic statements toward Vanessa Wruble at that meeting. Wruble left the movement shortly thereafter, and claims that her Jewish ethnicity was the main reason for her being pushed out. The Zioness movement called the report by Tablet evidence of the "deep-seated, conspiratorial hatred of the Jewish people" among the movement's co-chairs, and the Progressive Zionists of the California Democratic Party also released a statement condemning the findings in the report.
In 2019, Bland garnered criticism for sharing a Facebook post by Jewish activist Jesse Rabinowitz which equated anti-Islamic rhetoric from the "American Jewish establishment" with the anti-Islamic motivations of the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shooting. Rabinowitz had written, "The same language and hate that folks spew against Sisters Linda Sarsour and Rep. Ilhan Omar killed 54 Muslim's in New Zealand. You can't stand in solidarity with the Muslim community and simultaneously disavow Muslim women for speaking their truths. American Jewish Establishment, I'm looking at you." Bland apologized for the sharing, stating that while she agreed with the first sentences in the post, she considered it wrong to single out only the establishment of one community. The Zioness movement condemned the post as an attack on Jews.
Bland, Mallory and Sarsour, have also been criticized for their ties with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. She faced backlash for defending Mallory who chose not to distance herself from Louis Farrakhan after attending one of his events. At the event Farrakhan called Jews "satanic" and gave Mallory a public shout-out. She, along with Mallory and Sarsour, stepped down from the Women's March in 2019.

Personal life

Bland married her high school sweetheart, Michael Foulger, in 2009. They were wed at Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City. They left the city after purchasing a historical home in West Philadelphia.
Bland has two daughters, one born in 2011 and the other born shortly after the US election in 2016. During the Women's march events in 2017 she often brought her baby girl on stage with her, had been photographed with her, and spoken on the topic of modern motherhood. She says it gives her new perspective and reason to improve the world.

Honors and awards