Tips to be Proactive During the #Blacklivesmatter Movement

All our silences in the face of racist assault are acts of complicity.

Bell Hooks

With everything that’s going on in the world right now after the brutal murder of George Floyd it is only natural, I mean, for those of us who are actual decent human beings, to want to contribute to the protests that are happening all over the world. Justice needs to be served and white supremacy needs to be completely eradicated.

However, it is extremely important to understand that this was not a one-time incident. This is yet another situation caused by systematic racism that has been killing black people year after year {if you’re unfamiliar with this concept, inform yourself by taking 5 minutes to watch this video}.

This has been going on for centuries and, even tho slavery was abolished oh so many years ago in the United States, that doesn’t mean that people of color – or POC – are not facing stereotypes and prejudices every single day.

In this blog entry, I will be providing links to various resources that will give you the opportunity to join the movement and make a change. If you can’t donate, that’s ok, there are so many other ways that you can help. You can also comment down below any questions or doubts that you might have, as well as resources/tips that you think can also be helpful that I might have accidentally left out.

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• Sign petitions and donate

This website is amazing for signing petitions and donating. This website lists all the petitions you can sign to make a difference and make your voice heard in this movement.

You can also donate to whichever cause you like in the “donate” button on the menu if you are financially able to do so. All proceeds go where they need to go and can really help protestors and victim’s families with funeral costs & damages.

Also if you aren’t able to donate money, the poet and influencer Vanessa Orion Carloto posted this link that will give you many options to donate by streaming playlists, sharing links and many other useful things! There’s no excuse to not contribute!

Side note: People are saying to not donate to organizations like change.org since supposedly they aren’t necessarily responsible when it comes to making sure the donated money gets where it was intended to go.

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• Inform yourself

You might be thinking: why do I need to invest time in educating myself, I’m not a racist. However, there are what may seem like “harmless” thoughts that might cross our minds that do tend to come from racist mindsets rooted in our brain from older and more ignorant generations. For example, that black people have poor hygiene, black women have ugly, damaged hair and that it looks unprofessional and should be ironed, etc. All of these comments that you think are just your “opinion” are actually microaggresions towards this community. And we all know that your thoughts eventually transform into words and your words convert to action.

The good news is that you can unlearn all of these toxic things! I mean, even I had to re-educate myself at one point in time and stop allowing what my father attempted to raise me to believe. He would tell me that black people are animals which makes them violent (bullshit), that interracial couples are unnatural and disgusting (bullshit) and that people that are not heterosexuals are plagues (even more bullshit!). After some time, I had to teach myself what’s right and wrong and how black people and members of the LGBTQ+ community are human beings. They deserve the right to live peacefully and not always have to fight for their existence.

Just by using social media such as Twitter and Instagram, you can educate yourself on a lot of things that are going on. Celebrities like Lauren Jauregui, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande are posting consistently on their pages to inform their audiences/fans on what’s going on and how they can help.

Remember: this is not a social media trend. Do not pretend to stand in solidarity with our black brothers and sisters when you don’t mean it just for likes.

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• Send messages!

Text “DEFEND” to 909-75

Text “JUSTICE” to 669-366

Text “FLOYD” “ENOUGH” and “JUSTICE” to 551-56

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• Support black artists, influencers, fashionistas, restaurants and businesses!

Supporting black people’s businesses and talents is extremely important because even after the protests are over, we need to support this community that has so much to offer. On a related note, follow/buy/invest/whatever you want to do in business that SUPPORT THE BLACK COMMUNITY. Pay attention to the silence or noise coming from large companies {or any business in general} during this movement. Are they supporting protestors? Are they ignoring what’s happening?

Here is an example of posts that help promote empowering black woman.

If they’re quiet then honey, drop them like a hot potato. In this household, we only stan companies that support #blacklivesmatter. Do some research in who is worth your time during and after this movement.

Some beauty brands that have/haven’t spoken up!

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• Vote for politicians that aren’t racist and will put an end to the loss of so many innocent lives.

This should be a no brainer. Vote for politicians that represent your values, morals, views and respect black lives. Those who will actually listen to protests and the voice of the people. And if you’re not of voting age now, make a commitment to vote for leaders that represent those values when you are able to.

Check your state laws and see if your state will allow you to vote safely from home using this link.

Here is a project by Campaign Zero that is trying to reduce police violence.

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• Protest! If you can’t, use your platform.

If there are people protesting near you, join them! Be safe and smart which means pack a bag with necessities, take extra face masks with you, some hair bands, water bottles and your signs and march with your fellow brothers and sisters to fight for their civil rights! If no one is protesting near you or anywhere in your country, be a leader. Don’t be afraid to raise your voice in the presence of injustice. Stand up for those who are oppressed.

If you cannot protest, please do all of the other things I have mentioned above if you can. Support those who are protesting. Use your platform and educate others on how systematic oppression is real and how it effects others. If you choose to not acknowledge what’s happening just because it doesn’t affect you personally, you are part of the problem and therefore, are joining the side of the enemy.

If you are privileged, don’t ignore it, that won’t make it go away. It’ll just make it worse. Instead, use it in favor of those who are not blessed with those privileges and help them in any way you can.

I apologize if I left anything out but feel free to add aid options in the comments. I know this whole thing can be a bit overwhelming sometimes and we can feel like we have nothing to do that’s great enough to make a substantial difference but trust me, it means the world and with every bit of help we get, we are getting closer and closer to winning this war on racism.

You can also follow my IG and Twitter accounts to stay up-to-date with everything that’s happening and ways that you can contribute to the cause!

xx j.