Black Lives Matter Resources: Ways to be an Ally

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was brutally murdered by white police officer, Derek Chauvin. And it was this injustice racism, along with Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many more that ignited the Black Lives Matter protests all over the world this past week. Seeing so many cases of racial injustice and police brutality come to light, we, Americans, have a long fight ahead of us. It isn’t enough to not be racist. Those of us who are privileged need to be anti-racist. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi defines an anti-racist as “somebody who views the racial groups as equals, someone who is pressing for policies that create racial equity.” This post will focus on resources related to the Black Lives Matters movement, such as articles on being a good ally, the history of racism, and ways to support the Black community.

Time and time again, a horrible event will erupt. Protests ensue, people are angry, people demand change, and then… after the event stops trending, people go back to their lives and forget. We cannot neglect this disturbing reality, a reality that most of us will never be able to comprehend.

In YouTuber chesacaleigh’s video, entitled, “5 Tips For Being An Ally,” she says, “Understand your privilege… All (privilege) means is that there are some things in life that you will not experience or never have to think about just because of who you are.” Chesacaleigh also says, “Listen and do your homework.” With the internet, we have so many tools to educate ourselves about the Black community and racial injustice.

In Ahsante the Artist’s “How to Be a Good Ally,” video she states, “Get to work… Use your strengths, your access, your resources to help the cause… You can call people in the government, you can financially support community programs, you can volunteer for supportive organizations…” Under the Twitter Thread, Support Black Artists, Kiera Please tweeted, “Support black businesses, creators, artists, etc… not just now but forever.”

How to be a good ally:

“Allyship is not neutrality. Allyship is an active process that you’re always working on.” – Ahsante the Artist, YouTuber

• Stop Talking, Start Listening Article
• 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
• 10 Ways to Be an Ally to the Black Community
• How White People Can Hold Each Other Accountable to Stop Institutional Racism
• 5 Ways to Start Being a Better Ally for your Black Coworkers
• List of Anti-Racism Resources, ranging from articles and books to podcasts, movies, and T.V. shows
• Helpful information & Engagement

Get Educated:

“The problem is that the presumption of dangerousness is tightly bound to race for so many in this country… I have also been on the receiving end of who I was reduced to someone else’s false perception of how much of a danger I posed.” -Megan Ming Francis

• Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice
• Timeline of Black protests in America & a timeline of racial injustice
• Who Gets to be Afraid in America?
• Mental Health Issues Facing the Black Community

“We organize because it is a matter of life or death. Our ancestors and movement elders dedicated their lives to organizing because they envisioned a day when their grandchildren could thrive outside the confines of oppression.” -Nikita Mitchell, Black Lives Matter Movement

• How the Black Lives Matter Movement Started
• Toolkit for Black and Non-Black POC Organizers
• Toolkit for White People
• Racism in Healthcare
• Video that breaks down systemic racism:

Donations:

• George Floyd’s Memorial Fund
• Nation-Wide Bail Funds
• Fund Black Trans Women and Non-Binary People in MN
• Black Trans Women Fund
• Supplies for DC Protesters
• Bay Area Black-Owned Business Relief Fund
• Support Black-Owned Businesses
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• BLM Fund
• National Police Accountability Project

Sign Petitions:

• Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old Black woman, who was wrongfully murdered by police while sleeping in her own home during an illegal search and seizure. Petition HERE.

• Ahmaud Arbery was a 25 year old Black man, who was pursued and shot multiple times while jogging in a neighborhood. Petition HERE.

• Justice for Emerald Black. She and her fiance were returning home from a doctor’s appointment when they were stopped by police officers. While explaining to the police that she was at high risk of a miscarriage, she was brutally assaulted and suffered a miscarriage shortly after. Petition HERE.

• Justice for Willie Simmons, who is serving a 38-year prison sentence for stealing $9.00. All of his appeals have been denied. Petition HERE.

• Sign to support Belly Mujinga, who was assaulted while working as a railway worker. She was spat on by a man, who stated to have COVID-19. Belly Mujinga has since passed away. Petition HERE.

• In support of creating a law that prohibits officers from shooting at unarmed citizens: Hands Up Act

• Stand With #BLM

• In support of a Mandatory Racial Bias Test

• In support of De-Escalation Training

• Petition to fight against systemic racism

Support Black Creators:

• On YouTube:
  • chescaleigh
  • Ahsante the Artist
  • Sundai Love
  • Nyma Tang
  • Talaat & Tai McNeely
  • Kevin Olusola

• On Instagram:
  • Tabitha Brown
  • Jenné Claiborne
  • Genesis Butler
  • Quiana
  • Aleshea
  • Jodie Patterson

• Bloggers:
  • Nikki O. Blog: https://spokenbyher.blogspot.com/?m=1
  • Waddie G. Blog: https://www.theglisted.com/
  • Sydnei Jarman Blog: https://www.hermodernlife.com/meet-sydnei-jarman
  • Christina Brown Blog: http://www.lovebrownsugar.com/
  • Nicola Eva Blog: https://nicole-eva.com/

Those are some resources to support the Black Lives Matter Movement. To friends, acquaintances, fellow writers, readers, please stay safe!

If there are additional resources that I didn’t mention, please link them in the comments below.

Good luck with your journey,

Harumi