I sat paralyzed for days following the murder of George Floyd. I desperately wanted to know how I could use what I have to amplify the voices of rage and unrest at state-sanctioned violence against Black and Brown people. Finally, after some time, I came up with the content below that I send to my newsletter subscribers. Today, I decided to adapt this into a blog post so this could be on my site as a reference for myself and for other people who may want to know how they can support the Black lives matter movement.
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What A Time To Be Alive.
It’s so important for us right now to curate and maintain our virtual communities to foster support at this time. The power of social media and digital platforms has been evident as the world tries to cope with the reality of our present circumstances.
I wrote that above to open the last newsletter.
Didn’t imagine those words would mean so much more now a month later.
I’m all emotioned out. Where I am now is action. What can I DO? And the answer is A LOT. If you are one of the people out there on the frontlines risking your safety to disrupt the every day, I salute you. We appreciate you. And we couldn’t make moves without you.
For the rest of us. We put push forward from the shadows, from behind our computer screens, and with our wallets. All that money I been saving from not being able to get my nails 💅🏿😅 done is going into bail funds ✊🏿.
Jail is not a place we want our freedom fighters to sit in, especially now with COVID-19 being improperly handled and policing structures flexing to show us their disdain for accountability.
The time to act is now. If you don’t know where to begin, resources are linked below for us to start doing our part.
Please comment below if you have any resources to share with those who engage with me on my platform, or you can respond to this email.
I am committed to using my platform to amplify the movement.
Here are some ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement:
Donate to Bail Funds & Organizers
Bail Funds
- Baltimore action legal team. You will have the option to donate directly to the bail fund or other areas of the organization.
- A thread of bail funds across the country. Note, the Minnesota bail fund is currently overwhelmed. We have been encouraged to spread the love to other funds and in other places.
Organizers:
- Peoples Power Assembly (Baltimore)
- Third World People’s Alliance (New York)
Volunteer Your Skills
People organizing protests also need your skills to help bolster their efforts. Ways you can help include making masks for protestors, offering medical assistance, legal assistance, etc.
Use Your Platform to Amplify the BLM movement
Retweet, Share, Repost. I’m actively using my twitter to be a space for sharing any resources I can find. Let people know about protests being organized, share posts about people we are trying to locate who have been at protests, especially share any call for donations or resources from organizers. Share this newsletter with your friends.
Additional Resources
Support/Learn More about Minnesota Protests
26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets
Join a Protest
(but before you do)
Follow this link to read a wealth of resources about protesting. Information includes:
- Why you SHOULDN’T share pictures or videos of protestors faces or identifying features
- Phone numbers to call for unlawful arrests in protesting areas
- List of lawyers offering Pro Bono services
- Protest First-Aid Tips
- Know Your Rights
Put any additional resources you have below!
I, like you, cannot believe where things have moved so quickly. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was the Ahmaud Arbery case. Now in my community, I’m a part of a group that engages in difficult discourse to try to root out the racist actions in our hometown. We are putting together several round tables and a protest at my former college to address some issues that happened and continue to happen there.
That’s awesome! Please share a link or a page where I can follow. Thank you for putting in that work.
I love the passion in taking action on the things you believe in!
This is such a great resource especially the area where you should have phone numbers available to call. I will share and save to Pinterest for future reference. When I get on a computer, I will also like to this in a similar article of mine.
Glad you got something out of it!
I’m glad you pointed out that everyone will not be on the front lines protesting! I would rather give my support using my platform to spread the word and supporting black business. I do support those protesters who are peaceful and respect ✊🏾 those that have been harmed during this time
Absolutely! There’s space and a place for everyone. It takes a range of support to make change.
This is awesome! I’ve definitely been using my platforms to spread the movement. With everything that’s going on I’m no longer being silent, I will forever continue to use my voice.
I love it! Continue to amplify!