“Please, I can’t breath.” It’s been a week of protest and anger. A wave has swept this nation. A powerful series of waves, like water will grind down the land. Now is the time to rise.
Protests are just the beginning. In order to change the systemic racism we have to be aware of privilege, come together, enable change, listen, and act.
Here is a list of things that will help to make sure Black Lives Matter.
Action cards
The most creative approach to the question on what to do about racial injustice comes from the Oakland Museum of California with their Take Action cards. Check out their Instagram feed to see the cards (instagram.com/oaklandmuseumca).
Donate money to the cause
Bail and legal support:
The Minnesota Freedom Fund (https://mnfreedomfund.org/)
Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee Bail Fund (https://rally.org/ARCbailfund)
San Francisco National Lawyers Guild (NLG) (nlgsf.org/ways-to-contribute/)
ACLU (https://action.aclu.org/give/now)
Non-emergency support:
Black Lives Matter (https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019)
East Oakland Collective (http://www.eastoaklandcollective.com/)
People’s Breakfast Oakland (https://linktr.ee/PBO)
Planting Justice (https://plantingjustice.org/)
Roots Clinic (https://rootsclinic.org/)
Restore Oakland (http://restoreoakland.org/)
Oakland Indie Alliances (http://www.oaklandindiealliance.com/repair)
Anti Police Terror Project (https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/)
Volunteer
Rock the Vote (https://www.rockthevote.org/get-involved/)
A list of actions against racism by the UN: Let’s fight racism (https://www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/)
Vote
President Obama weighted in lately on how important voting is (https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067) and to move a step further you can read the report and toolkit from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights developed by the Obama Foundation (https://www.obama.org/wp-content/uploads/Toolkit.pdf)
Black Future Lab (https://blackfutureslab.org/)
Track progress of legislations
Campaign Zero let’s you track the progress state legislations against police violence (https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#action)
Make a call
To contact your representative just got easier, just download the 5calls app (https://5calls.org/)
Sign Petitions
Color of Change (https://act.colorofchange.org/signup/state-emergency-black-people-are-dying)
NAACP (http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6857/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=27063)
Join a group
Showing up for Racial Justice (https://www.surjbayarea.org/)
Educate yourself about racism
General reading list on how to be an antiracist, put together by the San Francisco library:
https://sfpl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/433865467_sfpl_readersadvisory/1494408919_be_an_antiracist
Truth be told is a podcast from KQED (https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/truthbetold).
Corrine Shutuck wrote a list of 75 things white people can do for racial justice (https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234)
Great resource list especially for kids from DC Area Educators for Social Justice (https://www.dcareaeducators4socialjustice.org/resources)
Buy from black businesses
BAOBOB is a directory listing for black owned businesses in the Bay Area (https://baobobdirectory.com/)
The Official Black Wall Street app lists black-owned businesses (https://obws.com/)
For black-owned restaurants download the EatOkra app (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/eatokra/id1175921760)
Black Nation app (https://www.blacknation.app/)
We Buy Black (https://webuyblack.com/)
Buy art that matters
The Tracy Piper has a vibrant print at the Voss Gallery. Proceeds go to Black Lives Matter (https://vossgallery.art/collections/the-tracy-piper/products/black-lives-matter)
Black Table Arts, a Minnesota based initiative to help community through art (http://www.blacktablearts.com/)
Kyle Harder donates proceeds from his print RISE! to Reclaim The Block (https://kyleharterart.bigcartel.com/product/rise)
How do you support black lives?
Resources:
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13881199/5-ways-to-show-up-for-racial-justice-today
