Singer, songwriter, and civil-rights activist, Sam Cooke, wrote “A Change is Gonna Come”. Listening to that song now, you can’t help but think that it HAS TO.
Now is not the time for silence. We are banded together to support the black community. As allies, we’ve compiled a list of ways for you to help amplify the voices of the Black Community and to help seek justice,
Sign petitions. Donate. Read up. Share content by Black creators. and listen. It is your responsibility to do the research. Start today and make it an every day thing.
This list will be updated as we discover new resources….
ACT NOW
TEXT IN
‘FLOYD’ to 55156 - Adds your name to the Color of Change petition seeking justice for George Floyd by asking that the four officers involved in his death are charged with murder.
‘JUSTICE’ TO 668366 - Will prompt you to sign the #JusticeForFloyd petition ^
‘ENOUGH’ to 55156 - Links you to sign the Color of Change petition seeking Justice for Breonna Taylor.
‘DEFEND’ to 90975 - Signs you up for Movement For Black Lives Action Now updates. This week, they’ve designated each day to have a call to action.
8 Can’t Wait: Data proves that together these eight policies can decrease police violence by 72%. Visit this link, choose your city and an email template will pull up complete with your Mayor’s contact to demand these policies be put in place.
SIGN PETITIONS
Justice for Jacob Blake - Demands justice for Jacob Blake and that the officers involved be held accountable.
Charge the Cops Who Shot Jacob Blake - Demands the officers involved in Jacob Blake’s case be prosecuted.
Justice for Jacob Blake - Demands officers involved in Jacob Blake’s case be fired, and prosecuted.
Justice for Jacob Blake - Demands the police be held accountable for the shooting of Jacob Blake.
#JusticeForFloyd - Demands that the officers involved in George Floyd’s case 1) have their pensions blocked and 2) ban them from becoming police officers ever again 3) charge ALL four officers with murder immediately.
Justice for George Floyd - Demands the officers involved in George Floyd’s case be fired and for charges to be filed immediately.
Justice for Big Floyd - Demands the arrest and charge of the police officers responsible for the murder of George Floyd.
Justice for George Floyd - Demands the arrest and charge of the police officers responsible for the murder of George Floyd.
Raise The Degree - Demands bail that bail be removed for Derek Chauvin.
Run With Maud - Demands charges against the McMichael’s and William “Roddie” Bryan, as well as demands the investigation and charges against Glynn County Police Officer Robert Rash.
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery - Demands the State of Georgia pass a Hate Crime law.
Stand With Breonna Taylor - Demands 1) termination of the police involved, 2) for a special prosecutor to be appointed to bring forward charges against the officers and oversee all parts of this case, and 3) that the Louisville Metro Council pass new rules banning the use of no-knock raids like the one used to break into Breonna’s home.
Justice for Bre - Demands the termination of the police involved in Breonna Taylor’s death.
Justice for Breonna - Demands Louisville Police Department take action.
Justice for Breonna Taylor - States The ”no-knock” warrant the police used completely violates the Constitutional rights to reasonable search and seizure. 2) Demands the police involved in her murder be charged.
Justice for Alejandro Vargas Martinez - Demands justice for Alejandro, an innocent 15 year old, African American who got shot 7 times while walking to Boone High School, in December of 2018.
Hands Up Act - A call for legislation that prohibits police officers from shooting unarmed citizens.
National Action Against Police Brutality - A demand to prosecute police who murder unarmed individuals
Ban/Restrict Tear Gas - For the restriction or banning of the use of tear gas by law enforcement on non violent crowds and other innocent civilians in the United States.
Re-open Sandra Bland’s Case - Sandra Bland was arrested for a traffic stop on July 10, 2015 by Brian Encinia. She was found dead in her cell three days later. Encinia was never indited. This demands her case be re-opened.
Justice for Jamee - Demands that the unedited bodycam + dashcam footage be released and the need for police accountability
Make the KKK Illegal - Demands that the KKK be deemed illegal.
WRITE
Happy Birthday Breonna Taylor - NOW
Breonna Taylor should’ve celebrated her 27th birthday on June 5th. In honor, Cate Young has created a list of action items to commemorate Breonna’s life including sending birthday cards to the Kentucky Attorney General and Louisville Metro Mayor. Full details here.
FOLLOW
+ SHARE
Let’s be real, we’re on our phones ALL THE TIME. One of the easiest things you can do now and CONTINUE to do in your every day, is share content by Black creators as well as follow them.
TIPS:
Add this to your bio + posts to link to multiple resources: blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Avoid sharing traumatic content. It can be triggering and dehumanizing.
Give credit where credit is due! If you’re reposting, ALWAYS tag the creator/original poster.
CONTENT TO READ + SHARE
8 Lessons About Racism that Were Helpful to Me as a White Person
Helpful vs. Harmful: A guide on what’s cool to share and what’s not
ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW ON IG
Black Voices + Stories to Watch
+ so many more! Start digging to find more incredible voices to follow and support.
TALK ABOUT IT
It may sound cliche, but communication is key! A healthy conversation can go along way. Here are a few resources to help you bring important points to the table.
DONATE
Take some time to look into all the different fundraisers and organizations. Do your research and donate to help further their mission. While you’re there, check out if you can set up a monthly donation or join their organization to help out regularly.
George Floyd Memorial Fund : This fund is established to cover funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, lodging and travel for all court proceedings, and to assist our family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for George. A portion of these funds will also go to the Estate of George Floyd for the benefit and care of his children and their educational fund.
OFFICIAL Gianna Floyd Fund (George Floyd's child)
Minnesota Freedom Fund: The Minnesota Freedom Fund pays criminal bail and immigration bond for those who cannot afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.
Black Lives Matter: #BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.
NAACP Legal Defense Fund: The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. LDF also defends the gains and protections won over the past 75 years of civil rights struggle and works to improve the quality and diversity of judicial and executive appointments.
Justice For Breonna Taylor: This fundraiser supports Breonna Taylor’s family.
I Run with Maud: “This fundraiser was designed to assist Ahmaud's mother; Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones and her immediate family with financial support during this extreme difficult time and in their struggle for justice for the murder of Ahmaud Marquez Arbery.”
National Bail Out Funds: “A formation of over sixty community-led bail and bond funds that are part of campaigns to end pretrial and immigration detention.”
Black Visions Collective: “Our mission is to organize powerful, connected Black communities and dismantle systems of violence. We do this through building strategic campaigns, investing in Black leadership, and engaging in cultural and narrative organizing.”
Reclaim the Block: “A community coalition representing activists, organizers, faith and community leaders united by the demand that Minneapolis divest from policing and invest in long-term alternatives that would decrease the scope of MPD and promote healthier, safer, more diverse communities.”
Campaign Zero: “A comprehensive platform of solutions to end police violence in America. - The site will be updated continuously in response to the ideas and insights of activists, organizers and concerned citizens nationwide. - Funds donated to Campaign Zero support the analysis of policing practices across the country, research to identify effective solutions to end police violence, technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and the development of model legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide.”
MORTAR: “MORTAR aims to create diverse communities by enabling historically marginalized entrepreneurs to access the resources needed to start & run successful businesses.”
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.”
Sad Girls Club: “WOC driven. Creating community in mental health for GenZ & millennials since 2017.”
BEAM Org: “BEAM’s mission is to remove the barriers that Black people experience getting access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing.”
Be The Bridge: “To Inspire & Equip ambassadors of racial reconciliation. To Build a community of people who share a common goal of creating healthy dialogue about race.”
Snap4Freedom: Working to build a Black Trans futurist framework for practical abolition as the way to liberation.
Blue’s Heaven Foundation: Their “mission is to help artists and musicians obtain what is rightfully theirs, and to educate both adults and children on the history of the Blues and the business of music.
Black Aids: “the only premier uniquely and unapologetically Black think and do tank in America powered by two decades of work to end the Black HIV epidemic and led by people who represent the issues we serve.”
Youth BreakOUT!: “BreakOUT! seeks to end the criminalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth to build a safer and more just New Orleans.”
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.”
House of GG: “Founded and led by Trans and gender nonconforming people and our allies, we create safe and transformative spaces where members of our community can heal—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—from the trauma arising from generations of transphobia, racism, sexism, poverty, ableism and violence, and nurture them into tomorrow’s leaders.”
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: “We reveal stories about freedom's heroes, from the era of the UGRR to contemporary times, challenging & inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom.”
The Kendrick Johnson Fund: “As we continue to our fight for justice, we choose to honor Kendrick by doing what he loved to do the most, helping others. We ask for your continued support in donating to this fund, which will benefit the Kendrick Johnson Foundation 's mission to raise awareness on the need for increased supervision and safety within our public schools.”
No Money? NO PROBLEM…
YouTuber, Zoe Amira, has put together a “video project to offer people a way to donate and financially contribute to #blacklivesmatter without having any actual money or going out to protest themselves.” 100% of the advertisement revenue the below video makes through AdSense will be donated to the associations that offer protester bail funds, help pay for family funerals, and advocacy listed in the beginning of the video. Just make sure you let the ads play all the way through.
Protest Tips
Thanks to Protest Aid on Twitter, here are 4 quick guides to help prepare you for protesting.
Not everyone is able to get out and protest. That is OK! Your energy can be put to use in other ways. Use your creativity to make signs for those who are able to protest, drop off water, etc. Do your research and find an organization to donate to.
READ
BOOKS
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (also a movie)
ARTICLES
Talking About Race - A collection of articles provided by the National Museum of African American History & Culture
11 Things You Can Do To Help Black Lives Matter End Police Violence.
11 Terms You Should Know To Better Understand Structural Racism
How to talk to children about racism, police brutality, and protests
A collection of works written about Black Revolutionary leaders.
Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup from Pretty Good
“America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)
Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists
”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
“The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)
Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD
“Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” by Courtney Martin (June 1, 2020)
”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
“Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)
PODCASTS
Dissect - Learn more about the music you love.
Therapy For Black Girls - A weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
Truth’s Table - 3 Black Christian women sharing their perspectives on race, politics, gender, current events, pop culture, and more.
Parenting Forward podcast episode ‘Five Pandemic Parenting Lessons with Cindy Wang Brandt’
Integrated Schools podcast episode “Raising White Kids with Jennifer Harvey”
Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
WATCH
13th on Netflix: “Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.” - HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Ted Talks to help you understand racism in America: “From passionate pleas for reform to poetic turns of phrase, these talks take an honest look at everyday realities of Black Americans and illuminate the way forward.” Watch here.
Just Mercy: “A Story of Justice and Redemption starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, Karan Kendrick and Brie Larson.”
Black Panthers: “Filmmaker Stanley Nelson examines the rise of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and its impact on civil rights and American culture.”
The Black Power Mixtape: “A documentary film, directed by Göran Olsson, that examines the evolution of the Black Power movement in American society from 1967 to 1975 as viewed through Swedish journalists and filmmakers.”
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson on Netflix: “Victoria Cruz investigates the mysterious 1992 death of black gay rights activist and Stonewall veteran, Marsha P. Johnson. Using archival interviews with Johnson, and new interviews with Johnson's family, friends and fellow activists.”
What Happened, Miss Simone? on Netflix: “Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon and legendary recording artist Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius, and tortured melancholy.”
I Am Not Your Negro: FREE to stream on Hoopla. “A journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.
Toni Morrison: Pieces I Am: FREE to stream on Hoopla. “Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, America and the human condition.”
Dear White People on Netflix: “Based on the acclaimed film of the same name, this Netflix-original series follows a group of students of color at Winchester University, a predominantly white Ivy League college. The students are faced with a landscape of cultural bias, social injustice, misguided activism and slippery politics. Through an absurdist lens, the series uses irony, self-deprecation, brutal honesty and humor to highlight issues that still plague today's"post-racial" society.” - One of my favorite series on Netflix.
The Hate U Give: Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds -- the poor, mostly black neighborhood where she lives and the wealthy, mostly white prep school that she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is soon shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer. Facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and decide to stand up for what's right.
When They See Us on Netflix: Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park.
Loving: The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.
Fruitvale Station: The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.
Selma: A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
Get Out: A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
If Beale Street Could Talk: A young woman embraces her pregnancy while she and her family set out to prove her childhood friend and lover innocent of a crime he didn't commit.
Do The Right Thing: On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
LISTEN
The musical culture that African Americans brought to America is what makes SO much of our favorite music possible. Learn a little more about their impact by reading this article on PBS or watch this short doc on Chess Records.
Another easy way to support the Black community each and every day is to start streaming their music! Take it upon yourself to look up artists you’re not familiar with. Make a conscious effort to add Black artists to your playlists. We’ve linked two playlists below to get you started…
SUPPORT LOCAL
This isn’t just a Minneapolis issue or an America issue, this is a local issue. Make the effort to support your local Black owned businesses. Build up the community around you! Check out supportblackowned.com to find a business near you.
SAY THEIR NAMES
DIJON KIZZEE • DAMIAN DANIELS • ANTHONY MCCLAIN • JULIAN LEWIS • MAURICE ABISDID-WAGNER • RAYSHARD BROOKS • PRISCILLA SLATER • ROBERT FORBES • KAMAL FLOWERS • JAMEL FLOYD • DAVID MCATEE • JAMES SCURLOCK •CALVIN HORTON JR. • TONY MCADE • DIJON JOHNSON • GEORGE FLOYD • MAURICE GORDON • CORNELIUS FREDERICKS • STEVEN TAYLOR • DANIEL PRUDE • BREONNA TAYLOR • BARRY GEDEUS • MANUEL ELLIS • AHMAUD ARBERY • LIONEL MORRIS • JAQYN O’NEILL LIGHT • WILLIAM GREEN • JOHN NEVILLE • MICHAEL DEAN • ATATIANA JEFFERSON • BYRON WILLIAMS • ELIJAH MCCLAIN • JALEEL MEDLOCK • DOMINIQUE CLAYTON • PAMELA TURNER • STERLING HIGGINS • BRADLEY BLACKSHIRE • ALEAH JENKINS • JEMEL ROBERSON • CHARLES ROUNSTREE JR. • BOTHAM JEAN • HARITH AUGUSTUS • JASON WASHINGTON • ROBERT WHITE • EARL MCNEIL • MARCUS-DAVID PETERS • DORIAN HARRIS • STEPHON CLARK • RONELL FOSTER • DAMON GRIMES • JAMES LACY • CHARLEENA LYLES • JORDAN EDWARDS • TIMOTHY CAUGHMAN • ALTERIA WOODS • DEBORAH DANNER • ALFRED OLANGO • TERENCE CRUTCHER • CHRISTIAN TAYLOR • JAMARION ROBINSON • DONNELL THOMPSON JR. • JOSEPH MANN • PHILANDO CASTILE • ALTON STERLING • JAY ANDERSON JR. • ANTRONIE SCOTT • BETTIE JONES • QUINTONIO LEGRIER • COREY JONES • SAMUEL DUBOSE • DARRIUS STEWART • SANDRA BLAND • SUSIE JACKSON • DANIEL SIMMONS • ETHEL LANCE • MYRA THOMPSON • CYNTHIA HURD • DEPAYNE MIDDLETON-DOCTOR •SHARONDA COLEMAN-SINGLETON • CLEMENTA PINKNEY • TYWANZA SANDERS • KALIEF BROWDER • FREDDIE GRAY • WALTER SCOTT • NATASHA MCKENNA • RUMAIN BRISBON • TAMIR RICE • AKAI GURLEY • TANISHA ANDERSON • LAQUAN MCDONALD • CAMERON TILLMAN • DARRIEN HUNT • MICHAEL BROWN • KAJIEME POWELL MICHELLE CUSSEAUX • DANTE PARKER • EZELL FORD • AMIR BROOKS • JOHN CRAWFORD III • ERIC GARNER • JERRY DWIGHT BROWN • VICTOR WHITE III • MARQUISE JONES • RENISHA MCBRIDE • JONATHAN FERRELL • GABRIEL WINZER • KAYLA MOORE • COREY STINGLEY • DARNESHA HARRIS • JORDAN DAVIS • SGT. JAMES BROWN • DARIUS SIMMONS • REKIA BOYD • TRAYVON MARTIN • WILLIE RAY BANKS • KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN SR. • CLETIS WILLIAMS • ROBERT RICKS • DANROY “DJ” HENRY JR. • AIYANA STANLEY-JONES • LAWRENCE ALLEN • OSCAR GRANT • JULIAN ALEXANDER • MARVIN PARKER • DEAUNTA FARROW • SEAN BELL • KATHRYN JOHNSTON • TIMOTHY STANSBURY JR. • ANTHONY DWAIN LEE • RICKY BYRDSONG • AMADOU DIALLO • JAMES BYRD JR. • NICHOLAS HEYWARD JR. • ELEANOR BUMPURS • EDWARD GARDNER • ELTON HAYES • MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. • JIMMIE LEE JACKSON • JAMES EARL CHANEY • LOUIS ALLEN • MEDGAR EVERS • HERBERT LEE • EMMETT TILL • GEORGE STINNEY JR.
AND SO MANY OTHERS.
This list will be updated as we discover new resources.