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                                                             The History of EFÄR

I am an obsessed Oakland Raider fan. This may sound like a strange way to tell the story of how EFÄR started, but the Raiders are the primary reason for EFAR's existence. It began in 1996, at a Gold's Gym in Springfield Ma. I was training there one evening when I noticed this dude wearing a Raider hat. I felt bad for this guy because I could relate to the pain of being a Raider fan in the 1990's. They were terrible. I decided to approach him and I began to reveal the Raider tattoo on my left shoulder blade. Yes, I know the tattoo is extreme and I should probably seek counseling, but anyway. By the look on his face I could tell he thought I was a weirdo, as I pulled my shirt down. Once he saw the black shield, we were cool and began a conversation that would change my life forever.

We talked about the sorry Raiders for a while before I learned his name was Zeph. He was a tall guy who was obviously biracial. He was darker than me and had several freckles on his face. I would learn later that he was half black and half Irish. Zeph was a physical therapy aid at Shriner's Hospital, which made our encounter even more bizarre because I just finished my associate degree in physical therapy and I did volunteer work at Shriner's as well. A little bit later, Zeph noticed a second tattoo I have on my right bicep. It is an armband of several pairs of black and white hands shaking. He was diggin the tat and we soon learned that we had an equal hatred towards racism. He explained an idea he was working on of combining the letters F and R phonetically to create EFÄR. He said that he learned phonetics because he suffered from dyslexia and that EFÄR was his way of hiding the phrase "Fuck Racism". I thought this concept was kick ass. His plans were to have a T-shirt line that I understood to be like a Co-ed Naked or Big Johnson type of commodity line whose twist would be one against racism. We talked for three hours, exchanged phone numbers, and I left the gym knowing that I met this cat for a reason. We had far too much in common to just shrug off the importance of this meeting.

The EFÄR idea intrigued me and I gave it a lot of thought for about two weeks. I liked the initial concept, but I believed it could have been a lot stronger and needed longevity. I felt it was an opportunity to make a significant impact on the racist society that hides within the "Land of the free." I called Zeph to set up a second meeting to see what he thought of my vision. I went off, talking about education, conceptual clothing designs, and an EFÄR foundation. I thought we could create a lifestyle that would center around a hip clothing line and venture into sports, entertainment, and diversity education. I wanted people to have a resource to combat racism in a way never been done before.

Zeph and I worked hard for a couple years trying to spread our message. We lectured at schools and set up at concerts and other events. EFÄR received recognition in several newspapers and even television. The potential of EFÄR was evident. People from all walks of life shared their respect and support for our efforts. Towards the end of 1999, Zeph's contribution was slowly disappearing. He went through a variety of problems in his personal life and decided that he wasn't good for the company any longer. I tried everything I could to change his mind, but he was convinced that leaving was in his best interest. I told Zeph that he would always be a part of EFÄR and I now had to decide if I could pull this off alone.
I had many debates in my head if I could make EFÄR a success and be white at the same time. I was not sure if people would understand my passion and take it seriously. I was too far along and too driven to give up. On January 1,Y2K, I set up at a Godsmack show in Boston. The show expected six to eight thousand people so I asked my brother and his wife to help me. My brother Bob, who had his own real estate business, had never been to an EFÄR event and was blown away. Shortly after the show he asked if he could get involved and has run most of the business aspects of EFÄR ever since.

Today EFÄR is trudging along and recruiting quite an army. We have a growing agenda that includes lectures and education, social awareness, diversity training, and a no tolerance policy towards racism and hatred. Thank you checking out the website and having an interest in the EFÄR mission. Remember that there is always time to UNBIND YOUR MIND.

Michael Ficarra