Black Lives matter.
We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement & protestors across the country. To our Black community members: We hear you. We see you. We will fight with you.
For non-Black folx, it is imperative to recognize and call out anti-Blackness in yourselves and your communities. Dismantling white supremacy begins with acknowledging your own implicit biases and choosing to act against the oppressor-- your silence is complicit with the structure of white supremacy.
Listen to Black voices: use your privilege to amplify their messaging without speaking over them. Give your time, your ears, your hands, and your money if you are able. Use your privilege as a shield for those who are unprotected. Remember that Black leaders have been at the forefront of liberation movements for centuries.
We tried to curate an extensive list of resources, actionables, links, and literature. See this list here. We will continue to update as we find more, and encourage you to continue amplifying anything you come across with your friends, family, loved ones, followers, communities, and local collectives. Have something you want to add? Email [email protected].
Petitions:
#DefundThePolice: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/2005_email_blm_defund
Justice for Big Floyd: https://www.justiceforbigfloyd.com/#petition
Justice for George Floyd: https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd
I Run With Maud Petition: https://www.runwithmaud.com/#petition
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: https://www.change.org/p/district-attorney-tom-durden-justice-for-ahmaud-arbery-i-run-with-maud
Justice for Breonna Taylor: https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor
https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforbre-breonna-taylor-officers-fired/
Text “ENOUGH” to 55156
Defund the Minneapolis Police Department: https://secure.everyaction.com/eR7GA7oz70GL8doBq19LrA2
Reclaim the Block Petition: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home/#calendar fbclid=IwAR2N_P90urv_9Um4iXzSu7wYhQHudVgk_MeBM5JpuukcwJ8jaDx5eb_lPl8
Text “RESIST” to 50409
Hands Up Act: https://www.change.org/p/us-senate-hands-up-act
#WeCantBreathe: https://www.wecantbreathenational.org/
Petition to advance the Peace Act: https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/61619/action/1?locale=en-US
Funds:
Black Visions Collective. Black Visions Collective is a Minneapolis based community organization. “BLVC is committed to a long term vision in which ALL Black lives not only matter, but are able to thrive. What we know to be true in order to create this world is that oppressed people, especially Black people, need to build collective power in order to create systems transformation. Through the development of powerful strategic campaigns, we seek to expand the power of Black people across the Twin Cities metro area and Minnesota: https://secure.everyaction.com/4omQDAR0oUiUagTu0EG-Ig2
The Audre Lorde Project. A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York area. Through mobilization, education, and capacity-building, they work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice: www.alp.org
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute. Protects and defends the human rights of Black transgender people through organizing, advocating, and creating an intentional community to heal, develop transformative leadership, and promote collective power:
TGI Justice. A group of transgender, gender variant, and intersex people inside and outside of prisons, jails, and detention centers creating a united family in the struggle for survival and freedom. They work in collaboration to forge a culture of resistance and resilience to strengthen themselves in the fight against human rights abuses, imprisonment, police violence, racism, poverty, and societal pressures: www.tgijp.org
TransWomen of Color Collective. Their work is led by the narratives, voices, and leadership of our community members who exist at the nexus of state sanctioned violence: sex workers, poor people, homelessness, folk experiencing home insecurity, folks deeply entrenched in complex, seemingly inescapable traumatic environments. Through healing and restorative justice, they’re building a network of trans, non-binary Black and POC who are artists, healers, entrepreneurs, and creators sharing and cultivating sustainable projects for that community, by that community: www.twocc.us
Reclaim the Block. Reclaim the Block began in 2018 and organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety. We believe health, safety and resiliency exist without police of any kind: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2
George Floyd Memorial Fund. This fund was created by Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother. It has been made to cover funeral and burial expenses and general assistance to the family of George Floyd as they continue to seek justice for George. A portion of the funds will also go to the Estate of George Floyd which includes his children and their education fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
I Run With Maud Fundraiser. This fund was created by Akeem Baker, Ahmaud Marquez Arbery’s best friend. The fund has been made to assist Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones, Ahmaud’s mother as well as his immediate family to financially support them during this extremely difficult time in their struggle for justice for Ahmaud: https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
National Black Food & Justice Alliance. The National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA) is a coalition of Black-led organizations working towards cultivating and advancing Black leadership, building Black self-determination, Black institution building and organizing for food sovereignty, land and justice: https://www.blackfoodjustice.org/blacklandfund
Equal Justice Initiative. Your contribution is critical to our efforts to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenge racial and economic injustice, and protect the basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society: https://support.eji.org/give/153413/#!/donation/checkout
The Okra Project. The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them: https://www.theokraproject.com
Northstar Health Collective. We work in alliance with mainstream and anti-authoritarian organizations to create a safe and healthy events. We stand in solidarity with the need for diverse strategies and tactics. We will not denounce fellow activists or organizations. That said, we believe in harm reduction. We are working behind the scenes to reduce risks. We believe in maintaining open lines of communication: https://www.northstarhealthcollective.org/donate
The Bail Project. The Bail Project™ National Revolving Bail Fund is a critical tool to prevent incarceration and combat racial and economic disparities in the bail system: https://bailproject.org/#
Louisville Bail Fund. The Louisville Community Bail Fund exists to not only bail out folks, but provide post-release support to get them from jail, fed, and to a situation of safety. LCBF also maintains a focus on preventative measures for those targeted by law enforcement and threatened with incarceration: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/
NAACP Covid-19 Relief Fund: https://naacp.org/coronavirus/
Brooklyn Community Bail Fund. Brooklyn Community Bail Fund secures the freedom of New Yorkers who would otherwise be detained pretrial due to their poverty alone. We are committed to challenging the criminalization of race, poverty and immigration status, the practice of putting a price on fundamental rights, and the persistent myth that bail is a necessary element of the justice system: https://brooklynbailfund.org/
Donate to National Bail Out. National Bail Out is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration. We are people who have been impacted by cages — either by being in them ourselves or witnessing our families and loved ones be encaged. We are queer, trans, young, elder, and immigrant: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/freeblackmamas2020
NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Donations to this legal organization go toward helping "win landmark legal battles, protect voters across the nation, and advance the cause of racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society: https://www.naacpldf.org/
Atlanta Solidarity Fund. From the Civil Rights Era to today, Atlanta has strong traditions of dissent. Protest movements play a critical role in the struggle for social justice. But when people stand up for what’s right, they often face the risk of arrest and imprisonment. We provide support for people who are arrested at protests, or otherwise prosecuted for their movement involvement: http://atlsolidarity.org/#support
Communities United Against Police Brutality. Communities United Against Police BrutalityTM is a Twin-Cities based organization that was created to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis. We work on the day-to-day abuses as well as taking on the more extreme cases. Our overriding goal is to create a climate of resistance to abuse of authority by police organizations and to empower local people with a structure that can take on police brutality and actually bring it to an end. We provide support for survivors of police brutality and families of victims so they can reclaim their dignity and join the struggle to end police brutality: www.cuapb.org
Homeless Black Trans Women Fund. This is fund for the community of Black Trans women that live in Atlanta and are sex workers and/or homeless: https://www.gofundme.com/f/homeless-black-trans-women-fund?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
The Loveland Foundation. Committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Their resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing: www.thelovelandfoundation.org
Campaign Zero. Online platform and organization that utilizes research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=v1z9dZoTXyxxhzkSAOwbiKlJR1FhoLIKpnp0F8nrZNBPmZV-OVrD4VGrv1A2w4Z_CbbiqW&country.x=US&locale.x=US
Unicorn Riot. Non-Profit organization that is dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues: https://unicornriot.ninja/donate/
Rebuild Black Owned Businesses. After the Oakland riots, many black owned businesses were vandalized by white influencers, police officers, and violent protestors. Official GoFundMe to fund struggling black businesses: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-black-owned-businesses-rebuild
National Police Accountability Project. A project of the national lawyers guild to help people find legal counsel and create a forum for legal professionals and community organizers to creatively work to end police misconduct: https://www.nlg-npap.org/donate/
Trans Funds/Resources per @NationalResourcesList: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u1cZrJ9xEDSIG_1sYK579GR0wbBiW5Q-ygV_bvI_nAI/edit
Bills/Legislation:
Call your senator, congressman, and local politicians to urge them to support/sign onto any number of these bills:
Peace Act - introduced by Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri and Rep. Ro Khanna (D) California, “Mandate federal law enforcement use deadly force as last resort” https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-khanna-s-peace-act-would-mandate-federal-law-enforcement-use-deadly
The George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act - from Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, and co-sponsored by Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Jason Crow, D-Colo., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., calls for new national policing standards and accreditations. “It would require every state, local and federal law enforcement agency to provide data to the Department of Justice on the use of deadly force by and against police officers, along with data on traffic and pedestrian stops. It would also make funding grants available to police agencies studying and creating new recruitment, hiring and oversight programs, and require the Justice Department to establish a task force to coordinate efforts to investigate and prosecute cases of law enforcement misconduct.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-democrats-introduce-policing-reform-bill-named-george/story?id=71069101
National Registry for Police Misconduct - introduced by Senator Cory Booker (D) New Jersey, “we need an entire set of holistic reforms to improve police training and practices, and ensure greater accountability and transparency.” https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-announces-framework-for-comprehensive-police-reform-legislation
Ending Qualified Immunity Act - introduced by U.S. Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and co-sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), “Abolish Qualified Immunity for Law Enforcement, Hold Officers Accountable for Police Brutality” https://www.harris.senate.gov/news/press-releases/harris-markey-booker-introduce-senate-resolution-to-abolish-qualified-immunity-for-law-enforcement-hold-officers-accountable-for-police-brutality#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20clear%20that%20the,sworn%20to%20protect%2C%20period.%E2%80%9D&text=We%20must%20act%20now%20and%20end%20qualified%20immunity%20once%20and%20for%20all.
Important Bill! (currently nameless) - introduced by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), “condemning all acts of police brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive and militarized force throughout the country” https://pressley.house.gov/sites/pressley.house.gov/files/A%20Resolution%20Condemning%20Police%20Brutality_0.pdf
Reading List:
Check out Z-Library or https://b-ok.cc/ for free downloads of books and articles. However, if you are financially able to purchase these works, PLEASE do to support these authors and their anti-racism work.
Are Prisons Obsolete? By Angela Davis
Women, Race, & Class by Angela Davis
Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Divided Sisters by Midge Wilson & Kathy Russell
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks
Is Prison Necessary? (New York Times, Ruth Wilson Gilmore)
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Critical Race Theory: An Introduction by Jean Stefancic and Richard Delgado
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
As We Have Always Done by Leanne Beta Simpson
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
On Intersectionality: Essential Writings by Kimberlé Crenshaw
Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Citizen by Claudia Rankine
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Banaji Mahzarin and Anthony Greenwald
Recitatif by Toni Morrison
The Possessive Investment in Whiteness by George Lipsicz
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni-Eddo Lodge
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Foreman Jr.
This Bridge Called My Back by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa
Black Power by Charles Hamilton and Kwame Ture
Negroes with Guns by Robert Williams
Negroes and the Gun: The Black Tradition of Arms by Nicolas Johnson
Angela Davis: An Autobiography by Angela Davis
We Will Shoot Back: Armed Resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement by Akinyele Umoja
A Taste of Power by Elaine Brown
Americanah by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
How We Get Free by Keeanga-Yamahhtta Taylor
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
The Lonely Letters by Ashon Crawley
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love by Kathleen Collins
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Mannish Tongues by Jayy Dodd
Loving Day by Mat Johnson
The Deep by Rivers Soloman
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
Ordinary Light by Tracy K. Smith
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad
Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The Next American Revolution by Grace Lee Boggs
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X
Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay McKesson
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Media and Entertainment
Film/Movies/TV Series:
13th
American Son
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
Clemency
Fruitvale Station
I Am Not Your Negro
If Beale Street Could Talk
King In The Wilderness
Just Mercy
Selma
See You Yesterday
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Slavery By Another Name
Freedom Riders
Freedom Writers
Hidden Figures
The Help
When They See Us
Dear White People
Podcasts:
1619
Our National Conversation About Conversations About Race
Code Switch
Intersectionality Matters with Kimberle Crenshaw
Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
Pod for the Cause
Seeing White
Pod Save the People with Deray
The Nod
The Stoop
The Diversity Gap