Judy Chiu·
Culture

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Naive stands in solidarity with our black friends, colleagues and community against systematic racism #blacklivesmatter. Although we might not be a large platform, we are a platform nonetheless and we have an obligation to speak out against injustice. Silence is complicity.

Although social media is an influential tool that can raise awareness on an issue, it is not enough. This should not be a trend. To help translate online activism to practical changes offline, we have compiled a list of resources you can use to take your activism further.

1. Educate yourself

It is essential that white people and non-black POC take this opportunity to learn more about the systematic racism that still plagues our society today. Educating yourself is the first step in creating any change. Below are some books and Netflix shows that give great insight into how racism impacts black lives and how we can move forward in the future.

BOOKS:

Evicted by MaHhew Desmond

How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

NETFLIX SHOWS:

13th (Ava DuVernay)

American Son (Kenny Leon)

Dear White People (JusEn Simien)

2. Sign Petitions

For those who are not physically able to participate in the protests, take a few minutes to sign these petitions (there are also zip codes provided for those who are international).

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions

3. Donate

For those who can afford it, please consider donating to organizations, memorial funds, and bail funds that support the movement, especially smaller ones that don’t receive as much monetary support from the public.
Some examples include:

@blackearthfarms plans to deliver free food to those that have been arrested and bailed during the Oakland uprisings.

@reclaimtheblock is an organization that demands the reduce of investment in the police and an increase in resources that provide real safety such as housing accessible mental health services, etc.

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With a surge of new followers and donations since MPD murdered George Floyd, we wanted to introduce ourselves, our work, and how we are situated during this time. Reclaim the Block came together in the fall of 2018, anchored by the leadership of Black Visions, to demand that Minneapolis move money out of policing and into community-led safety. We believe health, safety and resiliency exist without police of any kind, and we organize community members to build a vision of, and movement toward, a thriving, well-resourced, police-free Minneapolis. We organize around policies and strategies that reduce investment in police and build resources that create real safety. Police reform has failed to bring any meaningful change to the violence that police commit against Black, brown, Indigenous, queer, trans, immigrant, and disabled communities. We focus on shrinking the power of police, not changing their image or training. We want Minneapolis to invest in affordable, dignified housing, accessible mental health services, community violence prevention, and youth services as resources that actually make people safe. Police don’t keep us safe. We take leadership from @blackvisionscollective within our coalition and build on a foundation of the local work of the Movement for Black Lives and @mpd_150 . We are also aligned with and inspired by organizations around the country like @criticalresistance, @byp100, SONG, Survived and Punished, and @therednationmovement . If you’re interested in police and prison abolition, join us in learning from these groups. We had a major win in 2018 when we organized the City Council to move $1 million out of the police department and into violence prevention programs. In 2019, hundreds of community members spoke out to demand the City make a bold divestment from policing and investment in community safety. Mayor Frey and the City Council didn’t listen: they unanimously passed a budget that included an $8 million raise for the police. Read up on that fight here: bit.ly/RTB2020summary *continued in comments*

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Here is a fundraiser that supports black owned businesses that have been affected by the protests.
Here is also a list of other places you can donate.

4. Educate others

Make an active effort to educate and open up discussions with your friends and family. Letters for Black Lives is a great resource for those who have family who do not speak English. This “open letter project on anti-Blackness” has been translated into over 30 languages including Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, etc.

5. More ways to help

As linked above, this page is very helpful and is updated regularly.

Here are also some informative Instagram posts that are incredibly helpful:

On non-optical allyship

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Social media has been a bit overwhelming since I first put up this post so it has taken some time for me to post this. On Friday, I shared this content on Twitter after I felt the conversations online were like screaming into an echo chamber. I wanted to provide those who wanted to support and be an ally with practical tips to move forward and make a change in our society. I am still somewhat surprised and overwhelmed by the reception so please take patience with me at this time. — For a note on who I am to those who have followed me from Twitter, my name is Mireille. I'm an assistant editor and I do freelance writing, PR and sensitivity reading and other bits on the side. I am extremely passionate about diversity and inclusion, and everything I have shared is not new knowledge to me. From as far back as I can remember I've been campaigning, fighting for equality and supporting and working with black owned organisations. I have worked in the diversity and inclusion space for around four years and I have been equipped with knowledge, skills etc through that work as well as through wider, intensive reading and being raised by a Jamaican mother who has a degree in Women's Studies. I felt as a mixed race person who was emotionally capable despite the current situation that I could use my learned experience, skills and compassion to offer this advice to allies and anyone else who was seeking advice but didn't know where to turn. This is now on my stories as a highlight so please feel free to share from there or here. — A small reminder that this took emotional labour and POC, especially black people are not here to teach you everything. When I said ask how you can support, I meant on a personal level as a friend etc. I hope this toolkit provides you with the starter info you need but there are genuinely people more experienced than me who warrant your listening to – please go and follow @nowhitesaviors, @laylafsaad, @rachel.cargle, @ckyourprivilege, @iamrachelricketts, @thegreatunlearn, @renieddolodge, @ibramxk + a few more: @akalamusic, @katycatalyst + @roiannenedd who all have books or resources from many more years of experience. _ Peace, love and light 🙏🏼❤️🌟

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How to be actively anti-racist

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In an essay for the New York Times, acclaimed professor, award-winning author, and director of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center, @ibramxk dove into the topic of how to combat racism: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ “No one becomes “not racist,” despite a tendency by Americans to identify themselves that way. We can only strive to be “anti-racist” on a daily basis, to continually rededicate ourselves to the lifelong task of overcoming our country’s racist heritage. We learn early the racist notion that white people have more because they are more; that people of color have less because they are less. I had internalized this worldview by my high school graduation, seeing myself and my race as less than other people and blaming other blacks for racial inequities. To build a nation of equal opportunity for everyone, we need to dismantle this spurious legacy of our common upbringing.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In order to do this, we have to educate ourselves. We can learn about covert white supremacy, follow organizations leading the way for racial equity and justice, watch films, listen to podcasts, and read books. This doesn’t need to be seen as a chore, but can instead be seen as an opportunity — an opportunity to better understand ourselves, love our neighbors, and become the change we wish to see. #AntiRacism #BecomeGoodNews ⠀⠀ — Link to resources in bio

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