Ways To Stand With #BlackLivesMatter
Following the murder of George Floyd by white Minneapolis police officers, protests have seen people take action against the racist systems in place both in the U.S. and internationally. The pain of those silenced is being made heard, and an outpouring of support has materialised over social media worldwide. Now is not the time to be silent, particularly if you are white and engage with or enjoy black culture. White silence kills, and yours will not go unnoticed, nor will it be forgotten by your black peers.
In this, we must learn from Angela Davis and be actively anti-racist. That means doing more than simply speaking out and stopping there. It's about putting your money where your mouth is, if you are able. Signing petitions is also important in putting your weight behind the collective effort.
When you've signed and donated, continue to educate yourself and use your voice to educate others, even when it's stopped trending.
- The Minnesota Freedom Fund is a community based nonprofit fund, established to 'pay criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.'
- Bail Funds George Floyd allows you to split your donation equally between 37 US-based bail funds.
- The National Bailout: 'a Black-led and Black-centred collective of abolitionist organisers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration.'
- ACLU: a 'nationwide team of attorneys, lobbyists, and advocates addressing civil liberties threats.'
- The George Floyd Memorial Fund and the George Floyd Fund set up by Floyd's sister and brother to cover costs for his memorial and burial.
- Sign the petition #JusticeForFloyd started by ColourOfChange to get justice for George Floyd, by having the officers who murdered him charged for their crime.
- Homeless Black Trans Women's Fund
- BLM Fund
- BLM LA Fund
- Reclaim The Block: organises the Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget, reducing reliance on the police and promoting community health and safety.
- Kwanda: a Black-owned funding platform.
- The Movement For Black Lives (M4BL): established as a space for Black organisations to debate political conditions, M4BL 'is an ecosystem of individuals and organisations creating a shared vision and policy agenda to win rights, recognition, and resources for Black people.'
- The National Black Women’s Justice Institute: 'works to reduce racial and gender disparities across the justice continuum affecting Black women, girls, and their families, by conducting research, providing technical assistance, engaging in public education, promoting civic engagement, and advocating for informed and effective policies.'
Some petitions require an American zip code: you can use one of the following in place of your UK post code:
90015 - Los Angeles, California
10001 - New York City, New York
75001 - Dallas, Texas
The website blacklivesmatters.carrd.co has been created to provide an even more extensive list of the ways you can help, including a growing list of petitions and places to donate to, which includes a list of funds for black owned businesses destroyed in the riots.
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter