We’ve taken some time to think about what we can do right now. What we can all do. So we’ve updated this opportunity and events page with a list of useful resources to educate and encourage donation.
Step One is educate yourself #blacklivesmatter.
Direct Action
The events of last summer saw many people rally to support Black-owned businesses– this is a great international list shared by a reader of this blog https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/support-black-owned-businesses/
We’ve found this website to be an especially helpful and succinct list of petitions, direct donations, mental heath and access resources and other ways to support Black Lives Matter. This site was started by @dehyedration and is now co-owned by @anoffvu https://blacklivesmatter.carrd.co/
Action PAC run hard-hitting campaigns to stop racism and bigotry in America. You can read more and support any of their campaigns: at https://theactionpac.com/
Black Lives Matter UK is a coalition of black activists and organisers across the UK. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ukblm-fund
Donate to bail funds ActBlue splits donation across over sixty bail funds secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_fu
The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center is a multi-issue, multi-race organization whose mission is to engage, organize, and mobilize communities to realize social justice through nonviolent action. They work to educate and train new community leaders to lead campaigns for racial, economic, environmental and social justice. midsouthpeace.org.
The Emergency release fund works to post bail for pretrial medically vulnerable individuals and anyone who identifies as LGBTQ- https://emergencyreleasefund.com
The Black Land & Spatial Justice Fund has been developed to redistribute resources, including finance and knowledge, engaging in decolonial frameworks and collective organising to redefine Black relationships to land and space. Organised by Amahra Spence you can read more and donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-land-justice
In the UK
Write to your MP to take action against anti-racism. You can find their details here: https://members.parliament.uk/
Black Protest Legal UK is a hub of Lawyers and legal advisors providing free legal advice and representation to UK Black Lives Matter activists and protesters. There are two upcoming Marches in London and various other Marches are also taking place on different dates throughout the UK. They aim to support all BLM protesters UK wide. They will also have a group of Legal Observers supporting at the Marches. You can support them via donation here https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-protest-legal-support-uk?
For a recent UK cause- please see the Go Fund me page for Belly Mujinga, the National Rail worked who was assaulted by being spat on while doing essential work and died of the coronavirus. Nnadozie Nwokocha is organizing this fundraiser. https://www.gofundme.com/f/rip-belly-mujinga
Black Minds Matter UK is a fundraiser that aims is to link as many Black individuals and families in the UK with certified, professional, black practitioners for therapy sessions as soon as possible. Annie Agnes is organizing this fundraiser. https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-minds-matter-uk?
To support Young Black people
We’d encourage the support of THE HIDEAWAY in Manchester. Hideaway aims to provide high quality youth work in a safe and secure environment where relationships and trust are developed and cherished, where young people have a voice and are heard, where difference is celebrated and where everyone works together to develop the full potential of all. https://thehideaway.org.uk/about-us
The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust is open to donations to support and safeguard young people https://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/support-us/donate/
The Exist Loudly Fund to Support Queer Black YP is calling to help Tanya Compass fundraise £10,000 to can put towards creating tangible change for Queer Black Young people in London and also nationally/internationally via digital means. Tanya is an award winning youth worker, community organiser and founder of Queer Black Christmas https://www.gofundme.com/f/exist-loudly-fund-to-support-queer-black-yp
How to give to Black Lives Matter protest bail funds if you have no money to donate
The below video project was created to offer people a way to donate to Black Lives Matter without having any actual money or going out to protest themselves. 100% of the ad revenue this video makes through AdSense will be donated to the associations that offer protester bail funds, help pay for family funerals, and advocacy that are listed in the beginning of the video. This resource was created by Zoe Amira
Further Reading
This is a growing list of organisations led by Black people with a central aim to support racial justice in the UK and black people and communities. With thanks to Gaylene Gould
Below is a link to some historical and cultural resources that may be useful starting points to further educate and engage with the Black Lives Matter movement. With thanks to Charles Preston
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bz011IF2Pu9TUWIxVWxybGJ1Ync
This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people to deepen anti-racism work. Document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BFOoVuQubZMhkBiiFJq-s-VCVZRIZK9_e0kyBVaeDM4/edit
UK Theatre
Black Ticket Project creates cultural access points for young Black people across Britain. Founded in 2018, they work with youth groups, charities, youth workers, schools and youth arts companies to help build relationships between artistic institutions and communities that are often racially and socio-economically marginalised. You can select a membership level to support them here https://www.patreon.com/blackticketproject
gal-dem, A UK website and magazine for womxn of colour has a new membership system for you to support its journalism from £4 per month- they have fantastic cultural and theatre content- you can become a member today. https://gal-dem.com/memberships/
Eclipse Theatre. Our friends at Eclipse Theatre are offering support for those who want to talk- they host a digital social gathering every Wednesday. https://eclipsetheatre.org.uk/slate-world
Writer and Director Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu has complied an excellent list of some plays specifically for Black students- but useful for all. Please consider buying some of these texts, or passing the list along to someone who can https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PpIw9Hem5klkPBuN0rqfliaTxhOUKs8l/view
Artists Fund Artists is an ongoing fund by Sabrina Mahfouz for artists to support and invest in each other and each other’s work. It aims to be a long term project. All funds raised up until 1 August 2020 will be redistributed to Black artists in the UK. https://www.gofundme.com/f/artistsfundartists
If you are planning to support Black Lives Matter on your own platforms- please do consider the below:
This resource masterlist will continue to be added to- please do link any resources for education and donation, signing petitions or further reading in the comments
By sharing this resource and others, we can help start a conversation about how racism and discrimination affect the mental health of the African-American community. We can help to reduce the shame and stigma sometimes associated with mental illness and mental health treatment in the Black community.
For example, did you know that:
Black Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental illness?
17% will develop a substance abuse disorder?
Just 1/3 will receive the help they need? (The resource includes several free or low-cost mental health treatment options.)
11:44 pm, 17 Nov 2020