PC: @sacree_frangine
This is the time for a change, a time to take action. If you are ready to help out our black brothers and sisters here are things you could do to help the Black Lives Matter movement.
Educate Yourself
If I am being honest with myself I did not know a lot about black history until I went away to college. The history classes I took in high school taught us the water-downed version of American history by quickly going over slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. If you have the opportunity to take Black Studies courses take them! In a lot of universities, black studies courses are not popular and underfunded but if more people start taking their courses they will receive better funding. There is always room to expand your knowledge to better understand the world and have a better understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Another way to go about educating yourself is to watch documentaries on streaming services. Here is a list of a few documentaries/movies you could watch:
Use Your Voices
Social Media is known for its ability to spread information throughout the world as quickly as possible. A platform is a platform regardless of how many followers you have, this is the time to use it but make sure to follow these Do's and Don'ts.
Take Action
Only posting on social media is not enough, there are many different things you could do to help.
Protest
Taking to the streets and peacefully protesting as part of the Black Lives Matter movement helps show your solidarity. There is strength in numbers and when you show up you are helping send a powerful message to the rest of the country even the whole world.
Donate
There are many different funds that need your help and the best part about donating is that anyone could do it. If you do not have any spare money then there are different ways to donate as well. Linked below are different sites you can donate to. The following link gets updated regularly with different ways you could help: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Monetary Donations
George Floyd's Family GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Reclaim The Block: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2
Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
Black Visions Collective: https://secure.everyaction.com/4omQDAR0oUiUagTu0EG-Ig2
The ACLU: https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/donate
The Loveland Foundation:https://thelovelandfoundation.org/ways-to-give/
Support Black-Owned Businesses
For my fellow Long Islanders, this website connects you to all black-owned businesses on LI. https://www.blackownedlongisland.com/explore-alternate/
For my fellow New Yorkers, if I miss anything please comment down below and I will add them.
Non-Monetary Donations
Sephora is allowing beauty rewards members to use their points and donate them to the National Black Justice Coalition through their Beauty Insider Rewards Bazaar.
Zoe Amira has created a video project and posted it onto YouTube, 100% of its ad revenue will be donated to help support the movement. All you need to do is not skip any ads, like and comment on the video, and repeat. If you do not want to listen to the video over and over again you can leave it silently playing in the background. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM
Sign Petitions
Petitions are a useful first step in achieving our goals. They send out a message to those in office as to what the public wants, help raise awareness, and encourages further action from the public. Linked below are important petitions that you should sign.
Justice for Breonna Taylor: https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforbre-breonna-taylor-officers-fired?source=coc_main_website
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: https://www.change.org/p/federal-bureau-of-investigation-disbarment-of-george-e-barnhill
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: https://www.change.org/p/human-rights-campaign-justice-for-ahmuad-aubrey-2
Life Sentence for Police Brutality: https://www.change.org/p/department-of-justice-mandatory-life-sentence-for-police-brutality
Hands Up Act: https://www.change.org/p/us-senate-hands-up-act
National Action Against Police Brutality: https://www.change.org/p/national-action-against-police-brutality-and-murder
Julius Jones: https://www.change.org/p/julius-jones-is-innocent-don-t-let-him-be-executed-by-the-state-of-oklahoma
Reflect
Everything going on in the world could definitely cause feelings of anxiety and that is okay. Check-in with yourself and your friends and take the time to reflect on everything that has happened and is happening. If you took the time to read through this blog post then you have taken the first steps to become an active ally. It is important to want to do better and to be the change we want to see in the world. Do not stop talking about what is going on because this is only the beginning! We have a good fight ahead of us so make sure to do whatever you can to be an effective ally.