How To Be An Ally For #BlackLivesMatter
Artwork by @lizzie_darden
Let’s just start by saying that YOU NEED to get involved. We’re in a crucial time in history where we must not stay silent in these situations of injustice. It’s time to end police brutality and racial injustice and this is the moment for all of us to raise our voices and stand for black human lives. The message is simple, BLACK LIVES MATTER.
We’ve gathered some resources so you can stay actively anti-racist during this time but especially once all the protests have died down. Please continue to support this cause.
Donate and demand justice
Here’s a list of places where you can donate or call to demand for justice.
Start by accessing this crowdsourced Google doc that gets updated every 5 minutes with a complete list of causes you can support, or phone numbers where you can call or text to demand for justice.
Donate to Black Lives Matter. Click here to go to their website.
Get involved with your local Black Lives Matter movement. You can find a complete list here. If your city doesn’t have one, you can start your own here.
Consider donating to local community bail funds as well to pay for bail for people that have been arrested during the protests. This crowdsourced Google doc contains a complete list of organizations across different states that you can support and it gets updated everyday.
Support the National Police Accountability Project: This group, a project of the National Lawyers Guild, helps people find legal counsel. Click here for more
Support Campaign Zero here, a police reform group that has been working on policy solutions.
Sign a petition: Civil rights group Color of Change launched a petition asking that all the officers involved in Floyd’s death are brought to justice. Click here to sign it.
Or another petition: The “Justice for George Floyd” petition on Change.org already has over 11 million supporters. This sends a huge message!
Educate yourself and others
Listen. It’s not black people’s job to educate you about why you shouldn’t be racist. It is YOUR job to learn as much as you can about racism and racial injustice and educate those around you.
Start by watching these shows and movies:
Dear White People (Netflix)
American Son (Netflix)
When They See Us (Netflix)
13th (Netflix)
See You Yesterday (Netflix)
The Hate U Give (Hulu)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Hulu)
Selma (On Demand)
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (On Demand)
I Am Not Your Negro (On Demand)
Clemency (On Demand)
Just Mercy (On Demand)
And reading these books and articles:
75 things white people can do for racial justice (article by Corrine Shutack)
A House Still Divided (article by Ibram X. Kendi)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age Of Colorblindness (Michelle Alexander)
White Fragility: Why It’sSo Hard For White People To Talk About Racism (Robin DiAngelo)
Black Feminist Thought (Patricia Hill Collins)
How To Be An Antiracist (Ibram X. Kendi)
I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing (Maya Angelou)
So You Want To Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo)
And subscribe and listen to these podcasts:
Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
See the bigger picture and be a part of it
As the days go by, the fight keeps going. Not only does brutality happen across the spectrum of racial and socioeconomic lines, but it also affects our family members, friends, and neighbors. It’s time for all of us to step up and show our solidarity and support. We need to listen, we need to learn, we need to act. The Black community shouldn’t have to fight this battle alone. We should all be raising our voices against hate and injustice. This is a movement that needs all of us, that needs you!
Show up for your friends and have these conversations even if they make you uncomfortable. But please remember to be careful when sharing images and videos. Seeing visuals of violence can be triggering. Make sure you are helping and not hurting. By taking the time to access these resources and educating yourself, you are already taking the first step to be anti-racist.