In the words of author and political activist Angela Davis, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist.”
The Black Lives Matter movement calls on everyone to take direct action in honor of the countless number of Black people who have been killed at the hands of the police. It calls on each and every one of us to be actively anti-racist.
Below, you will find resources to educate yourself and take action. Whether it is in the form of donations, signing petitions, contacting your elected officials, or supporting Black businesses, this is not a one-time cause. We must continue to share, educate ourselves, and lift up these communities until they have the justice they deserve.
Resources you can learn from:
To Read
- How to be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo
To Watch
- 13TH on Netflix
- When They See Us on Netflix
- Angela Davis on Intersectional Antiracism
- The Color of Fear (1994) by Lee Mun Wah
To Listen
- Code Switch by NPR
- 1619 by the New York Times
- The Diversity Gap
Organizations you can donate to:
- Black Lives Matter
- Black Lives Matter is an organization in the US, UK, and Canada with a mission to eradicate systemic racism, to end violence against Black communities, and to center and affirm Black joy. | DONATE
- National Bail Fund
- The National Bail Fund Network provides support for those in need of bail from recent protests, people in immigration detention centers, and people at risk for COVID-19 in jails and detention centers. This fund also works to abolish the money bail system and pretrial detention. | DONATE
- Cage-Free Repair
- Cage-Free Repair works toward an equitable, just, and reparative cannabis industry. They also work with cannabis companies, patients, and consumers to engage in restorative justice for the disproportionately harmed communities of The War on Drugs. | DONATE
- American Civil Liberties Union
- The ACLU has been at the center of nearly every major civil liberties battle in the U.S. for over 100 years. This vital work depends on the support of ACLU members in all 50 states and beyond. | DONATE
- The Movement for Black Lives
- M4BL seeks to reach millions, mobilize hundreds of thousands, and organize tens of thousands so that Black political power is a force able to influence national and local agendas in the direction of our shared Vision for Black Lives. | DONATE
- Equal Justice Initiative
- The Equal Justice Initiative seeks to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenge racial and economic injustice, and protect the basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. | DONATE
- Black Women’s Roundtable
- The BWR is at the forefront of championing justice and equitable public policies that center racial, economic and gender justice to promote health and wellness, economic security & prosperity, education, and global empowerment as key elements of success. | DONATE
- The National Urban League
- The NUL enables African Americans and other underserved urban residents to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. They work towards this vision through programs and initiatives in several specific areas: education, jobs, housing, health, and justice. | DONATE
You can also check out our list of Black-owned cannabis and hemp businesses you can support.
Petitions you can sign:
- Color of Change’s Protection and Relief Measures for Black-Owned Businesses in the Wake of COVID-19
- Movement for Black Lives’s Prioritize Black Communities over Corporations and Push Back Against the Use of Militarization in Black Communities
- Change.org’s Introduce Nationwide Mandatory De-Escalation Training for Police Officers
Places you can call and email:
- Urge your U.S. House Representative to recognize the importance of reparations for slavery in the fight for racial justice and support a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans. Read more about the H.R. 40 bill here.
- Demand that Congress protects the health and democracy of Black voters by fully funding or increasing the Election Resilience grants to states in the final version of the HEROES Act. You can sign the petition or use the prompt to email your local representative.
- Criminal justice reform and redistribution of taxpayer money to community services and increased civilian oversight require the action of our government officials. Find your local, county, state, and/or federal representatives and call or email to support these initiatives.
