Black Lives Matter

2020 has been a hell of a year so far. Against the backdrop of a pandemic has come an actual nationwide uprising for real equity. So in honor of the work that's been done, and the work that's left to do, we're giving you a Juneteenth gift: a three part series of resources to help yourself and others be better activists and advocates for racial justice. This is Part 1: a post dedicated to organizations doing great work and resources to help you contribute. Part 2 focuses on BIPOC artisans and businesses. Part 3 is for allies - resources to help white allies challenge white supremacy both internally and externally. After all, you can't dismantle something you're afraid to confront. 

Organizations for Change

There are hundreds of organizations who are working towards justice and equity, so this is by no means a definitive list, but here are some of our favorites (and feel free to suggest more in the comments).

Color of Change bills itself as the nation's largest online racial justice organization and they've got the portfolio to back it up. They take a holistic approach to combatting systemic racism and oppression by designing campaigns that address everything from voter suppression and criminal justice reform to combatting white nationalism and racism in media coverage. Your support doesn't have to be monetary (but here's the donation link, just in case), search active campaigns to get involved and sign up for the newsletter to keep yourself informed.

Founded in 1971, the Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicated to civil rights for all. Member-funded SPLC is a true workhorse, from their Intelligence Project, which tracks more than 1,600 extremest and hate groups, to their plethora of active litigation (if you have some time, peruse their timeline of landmark cases, it's an enlightening and uplifing read), the Center never stops fighting for the most vulnerable among us. Interested in donating? Learn about all the ways you can support SPLC.

The rise of protests has led to an increase in arrests (about which the ACLU has plenty to say) to that end, the Community Justice Exchange has put together the National Bail Fund Network, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a directory of bail funds across the country. Use it to send immediate help to those who've been detained for exercising their constitutional right to assembly. We can give a hometown head start to those of you from Charm City, and point you all in the direction of the Baltimore Action Legal Team, a fantastic local organization dedicated to antiracism and supporting the Movement for Black Lives in Baltimore.

The revolution may not be televised, but it'll probably be covered by ProPublica and other independent newsrooms like it. Their unflinching coverage of topics like criminal justice, civil rights, immigration, and healthcare help forward the cause of justice by shining a light on wrongdoing. Not sure where to start? Double down on timely reporting with this story on the dangers of using tear gas during the COVID pandemic. Want more? Sign up for the daily digest. And while there is no paywall, donations are accepted to support this nonprofit newsroom.

The Audre Lorde Project, named for the activist and poet, is a New York-based organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, trans, and gender-nonconforming people of color. ALP's mission is to build capacity by working for community wellness and social justice. There are many ways to support ALP, including donations and membership.

The Equal Justice Initiative is dedicated to ending excessive punishment and mass incarceration. If the name sounds familiar, it might be because their founder Bryan Stevenson's memoir, Just Mercy, was recently turned into a movie. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, EIJ's work falls into three broad categories: criminal justice reform, racial justice, and public education (including a museum and memorial).

The Black Visions Collective is a Black, trans, queer-led social justice organization in the Twin Cities. Black Visions builds campaigns focused on making the world safe for all Black lives. According to the organization's donation page, the recent increase in coverage has left them quite well-funded, so they've decided to pay it forward by linking out to a Google doc compiled by another Minneapolis-based organization, Reclaim the Block, which lists an ever-growing catalog of dozens of social justice and racial equity organizations who could benefit from additional funding.

Say Their Names: Justice for Victims, Support for Families

This pop-up on BabyNames.com reminds users that every Black person
who has been martyred was someone's baby.

The recent rash of high-profile incidents of police brutality have been a wake-up call for some who've had the luxury of snoozing, and a breaking point for many others. As activists push to defund the police, there are more immediate avenues to help seek justice for those who were killed and give aid to their families. Below, the first line are links to petitions for some of the recent victims of police brutality, the second line contains fundraiser links:

Ahmad Arbery • Sandra Bland • Rayshard Brooks • George Floyd •  Tony McDade • Breonna Taylor

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Ahmad Arbery • Rayshard Brooks • George Floyd • Tony McDade • Breonna Taylor

Searching for individual fundraisers and resources can be a daunting task, especially if your social media feed as been saturated with single-issue sites. Aggregators can be a helpful solution here. This page supporting the movement for Black lives lists dozens of ways to help, including ways to donate, information for protestors, petitions to sign, educational resources, and much more. Say Her Name is similar site, but here the focus is on Black femme and trans women. The education section alone should be the envy of every lit department in the country.

And if you're interested in joining the protests, check out this article on how to Support the Struggle Against Police Brutality.

The Written Word

Since we run a blog (or at least pretend to every few years), we clearly believe in the power of the written word. To that end, we've collected a mix of blogs, magazines, books, and authors we'd like to recommend.

A Beautiful Ghetto by Devin Allen asks us, through a series of photos, to reexamine the beauty of every day life, particularly in 'ghettos,' areas that have all too often been written off by politicians, the wealthy, and the powerful.

'The Case for Reparations' by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Often the conversation about reparations starts and stalls in the economic or logistic quarters. Coates doesn't get bogged down in the details of what reparations should be or how best to roll them out, instead he eloquently makes the case for the necessity of it.

The Root an online magazine dedicated to Black voices and the Black experience. The site covers everything, from news and fashion to politics and the coronavirus through a Black lens. And for the past few years it's also been the home of the funny and insightful blog, Very Smart Brothas, a personal fave here at TCKiT.

Looking for kid-friendly reads? The Black Lives Matter Instructional Library is actually a Google Docs slideshow featuring books in English and Spanish covering subjects like activism, empowerment, and Black history with links out to YouTube videos of each being read. It's a wonderful resource for those with kids and home and no library to visit.

Then check out EmbraceRace for another great cache of diverse kids books and blogs.

Don't Forget About Your Own Backyard

The change that we're working for needs to be both national and local, which is why it's important to remember to help out in your own hometown. Donations aren't just crucial for equity advocates, they're an absolute necessity for habitually-underfunded community centers, rec programs, and cultural organizations. From MIGIZI, a Native American youth organization in Minnesota, to the Crispus Attucks Community Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the need for local engagement and support is constant. So take a walk around your community and find a new way to invest.

Note from Tex & Coda: This series is intended to be updated (relatively) regularly. Please feel free to send suggested additions or just check back periodically to find new resources.