Black Lives Matter: Support, Donate and Educate
Doing nothing isn't an option - here's how you can help get active and end racism.
Last updated 4th Jun 2020
Since the horrific video of George Floyd's murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer emerged online, the world has woken up.
It shouldn't have taken an act as horrific as this for the world to confront its racism problem, but if you have been active on social media or in your personal lives at supporting the Black Lives Matter movement here are a few ways you can ensure your support isn't just a one off gesture.
Educate yourself.
Racism as a problem is a systemic one, the foundations of prejudice have been laid at school level. Black history isn't an integral part of the school curriculum and black authors aren't a fundamental part of GCSE reading lists. This needs to change. If you have a gap in your knowledge, now is the time to educate yourself and further your understanding of why Black Lives Matter is so important.
Here are some books we would recommend...
Non-Fiction
Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff
Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala
Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Don't Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
Brit-ish: On Race, Identity and Belonging by Afua Hirsch
How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
Feminism, Interrupted by Lola Olufemi
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
White Tears, Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad
Fiction and memoirs
The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Support.
To demand justice for George Floyd, you can sign the petition here.
Help demand justice for Belly Mujinga, the railway worker who died from coronavirus after she was spat on by a man claiming to have COVID-19. Sign the petition here.
Help demand justice for Breonna Taylor, the black emergency medical technician who was fatally shot in her apartment by the Louisville Metro Police Department. Sign the petition here.
And to demand action from the government around what they are doing to address inequality in the UK you can email your MP.
Donate.
Donate to Official George Floyd Memorial Fund.
Donate to Say Her Name, a campaign that calls attention to police violence against Black women, girls and femmes.
Donate to the UK Black Protest Legal Support fund.
Donate to Belly Mujinga's family, including her daughter.
Donate to The Minnesota Freedom Fund, which provides funds to pay bail for those protesting in Minnesota.
Donate to The Bail Project, which provides funds to pay bail for those who have been arrested during the protests. You can split your donation between the 39 bail funds (including the Philadelphia Bail Fund, the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, the Community Justice Exchange National Bail Fund Network and the Mississippi Bail Fund Collective) by clicking here.
Donate to UK Black Lives Matter.
Donate to Black Lives Matter.
Charities.
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust