NORTH BERGEN, NJ-- During the September 25 Board of Commissioners meeting, Duke Quarshie, Director of Marketing and Sales of Bokik Shoes, presented Mayor Sacco and the Board of Commissioners with a sneaker he designed inspired by North Bergen’s commitment to being Stigma-Free, in a glass display case.
“We are proud to have our stigma-free signs around town for residents to see and be reminded that they are safe in North Bergen, regardless of their background of mental health,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco. “Struggling with mental health is something nobody should feel ashamed of. I feel honored to have Duke design a sneaker that represents the town and our residents who are healing from mental health issues.”
“The sneaker has different variation which represents anyone dealing with mental issues, problems at home or challenges in life,” said Duke Quarshie, on his inspiration for the design.
“The top of sneakers respects moving forward and healing from trauma. The colors represent North Bergen’s town colors. Being a Stigma-Free town is taking a step forward in getting healed from mental health.”
Quarshie has been a resident of North Bergen for the last 10 years. He was inspired to represent people struggling with mental health issues or any challenges in life.
The North Bergen sneaker took about a month to design in collaboration with Executive Director of the North Bergen Public Library, Sai Rao and Phyllis DelCollo. All Bokik shoes are hand sewn and hand painted in Spain.