Ayesha Martin, Senior Director of Adidas Purpose Marketing, has spent the last five years building community infrastructure from within a corporate system not always designed for it.
Martin recently spearheaded Adidas’s unveiling of Community Archives, its first-ever zine dedicated to spotlighting the often-unseen individuals who have shaped sport, culture, and grassroots change.
Martin and her team launched Community Archives as a limited-edition zine that functions as both a love letter and a blueprint.
Instead of centering adidas as the hero, the publication centers on what Martin calls the “architects of change”—people and communities whose courage, creativity, and collective action expanded what the work could become.
“We started by asking: What moments changed us? Who helped expand what this work could be?” Martin told Essence. “The stories in Community Archives are the ones that shifted something, whether through courage, creativity, or the way a community showed up for itself. We chose collaborators who weren’t just part of the work but who helped define it.”
More than a publication, the zine serves as a living record of five years of intentional, community-centered work inside the global brand—work rooted in listening, co-creation, and sustained partnership rather than performative gestures.
At the heart of Community Archives is the belief that real impact starts from the ground up. Over the past half-decade, Adidas has collaborated with community leaders, cultural creators, youth organizations, and purpose-driven partners to build what it describes as an ecosystem of change. The zine captures the milestones, movements, and relationships that defined that journey, honoring the people who helped shape the work long before it was ever documented on paper.
The pages spotlight a powerful range of Black and Brown voices whose leadership reflects that impact.
Among them are Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery and a leading voice for social justice; Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, Founder and President of Pensole Lewis College, the first and only design-focused HBCU; Candace Parker, WNBA All-Star and President of Adidas Women’s Basketball; WNBA athletes including Aliyah Boston, Erica Wheeler, Nneka Ogwumike, and Layshia Clarendon; as well as cultural icons like the Quilters of Gee’s Bend.
Martin’s unique approach at Adidas centers on prioritizing listening and presence over performance. She evaluates the impact of Adidas’s belief that sport changes lives not through simple mission statements, but by focusing on authentic community experiences, monitoring long-term change, and creating “free spaces to play.”
“Impact data measured through the lens of our community’s experience with programming is a compelling way to track change over a period of time,” she remarked. “Beyond data it’s the cultivation of free spaces to play, being truly present in partnership and elevating the stories of our architects of change that defines how we create with purpose.”
This philosophy is evident in Martin’s own comments featured in the zine:
“As you turn these pages, I invite you to see beyond the words and photographs—see the dreams that are unfolding, the futures being built, and the enduring truth that one life can spark a movement of change. May this zine serve as both a celebration of what we have accomplished and a call to continue the work of lifting young people higher.
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These are our stories—archived. A beautiful expression of community in action. The quiet acts of courage, the bold leaps of faith, the undeniable potential of every young person we’ve connected with—a gentle reminder of how, together, we transcended a moment in time to shape a movement. Powered by sport. Powered by you.”
Martin emphasized that this work involves the emotional labor of translating personal experience into corporate strategy by “designing systems, defining strategies and creating playbooks that challenge norms shaped over centuries,” going beyond mere community advocacy.
Despite the inherent challenges, she values her supportive team and their collective ambitious vision.
Community Archives seeks to empower young people by affirming their efforts and encouraging ambition. Martin advocates for trusting intuition as an “ancestral guide,” fostering supportive spaces, and recognizing personal experience as a valuable asset.
According to Sole Savy, as part of the launch, Adidas is engaging adiClub members in the giving season. Through the adiClub Point Shop, members can donate 100 points, which triggers a $1 contribution from Adidas—up to $50,000—to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. This initiative aims to expand youth wellness programming across the U.S. and is open for point donations until December 31, 2025.
