In light of George Floyd, the topic of racism in the United States is being brought up now more than ever, and it’s important to talk about what you can do to support, even if you don’t go to protests. There are various things you can do to show your support and educate yourself, and I wanted to compile it somewhere to make it easier for people to access.
If you know of any additional resources to add, feel free to add it in the comments below, or let me know and I’ll add it. This post will be updated when I receive new information or resources. This also means if I get something wrong, let me know, so that I can fix it.
To start off, if you want to learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement and all that they stand for, check out their website here:
Here is another website, Black at it Again, which provides more resources, petitions and funds:
https://www.blackatitagain.com/lifestyle/2020/6/5/self-care-even-in-protest
Police Brutality
If you have been following the protests, you know the catalyst was the case of George Floyd being pinned down by the neck by former police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Even when George Floyd said he couldn’t breath, Chauvin wouldn’t let up, and Floyd died as a result of asphyxiation. The Hennepin County Attorney, Mike Freeman, is pressing charges against Chauvin for second-degree murder and second- degree manslaughter. The three other cops who were involved, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, have now had charges pressed against them as well.
However, police brutality against Black people has been an ongoing issue for years, and now with the protests occurring, there have been videos of both police officers and rioters taking advantage of the situation, to either loot or cause property damage, and blame it on the protests.
If you are unaware of any of this, or don’t believe it, here are some threads with evidence:
If you are going out to protest, please read through this thread:
Also check out this article on how to prepare and keep yourself safe while protesting:
Here are more tips on how to stay safe protesting during the pandemic:
You can watch live protests across the country from here:
White Privilege
We have to talk about white privilege when it comes to racism towards Black people in the United States, because the denial of privilege due to the color of our skin allows these things to happen.
When it comes to white privilege, this is what you need to remember:
If you have white privilege, this does not mean you don’t have struggles in your life. What this means is that the struggles you face are not based on, or made worse, by the color of your skin.
The following Tweet is one example of many of how white privilege benefits those of us who have it.
The first step in all of this is to admit what privileges you have, and realize that you are in a position where you can help dismantle this privilege, and truly make the United States a country of equality. To do this, educate yourself on how the current system, whether it’s the educational, judicial or other institutional systems, is oppressive to minorities, by reading and listening.
Take that first step, admit that being white gives you privilege to not struggle due to the color of your skin, and learn what the system does to maintain this status quo, and what else you can do to help dismantle it.
Using Hashtags to Show Support
The most recent example of this is with Blackout Tuesday, where people were also using #blacklivesmatter and #blm in their posts. It was then brought up how using these hashtags for this event will interfere with information about protests, video evidence of police brutality and other important information typically spread with the hashtags. The safest way to show you support is to use the hashtags specifically meant for that event.
If you post something by mistake, just take it down and fix the post. It’s okay to fix your mistakes, as learning how to be an ally is a lifelong process, and we’re all bound to make mistakes. Just own up to it, fix it, and learn.
Sharing Protest Information
There are cases of cops, rioters, white supremacists and others of the like posing as regular Twitter users to get information about protests. The best way to know who you’re talking to is to check the profile, and if it looks as though it’s barely been used, it’s possible it could be one of the aforementioned groups. The following Tweet gives tips and a specific example on how to spot such accounts:
Talking About the Issues
This is always going to be a tough situation to be in, especially when it comes to friends and family members. If you hear them say something racist or ignorant, speak up. Be aware that this may lead to conflict, though, as you are challenging their views. The following thread has great information about how to handle these situations:
About Change.org Donations
If you are signing petitions, change.org will ask for a donation in support of the petition. The money donated on change.org goes towards the website, not the cause. If you want to donate directly to a specific cause, it’s better to go straight to the organization, rather than a third party. Here is a tweet that goes further into detail about change.org, which also lists places you can donate to directly:
If you are looking for additional places to donate, here are other donations threads to check out, along with petitions to sign:
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/homeless-black-trans-women-fund
Here are threads of Black businesses you can support right now:
-As someone who has always dreamed of opening a bookstore, and just loves books in general, this specific Go-Fund me is one I want to highlight
gofundme.com/f/save-source-of-knowledge?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet
-I also found out about someone starting an app which will serve as a directory for Black-owned businesses. Here’s the thread discussing it, which includes more Black-owned businesses you can support:
https://twitter.com/Kristian_Cloud/status/1273666982127247360?s=19
If you are unable due to financial issues, but still want to find a way to donate, here are some threads that talk about YouTuber’s whose ad revenue is being donated:
If you want to sign petitions, here are some links you can check out:
If you want to further educate yourself on the topic of racism, here are some book recommendations I’ve seen floating around:
–Why I’m No Longer Talking About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
–Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
–White Rage by Carol Anderson,
–Fist Stick Knife Gun by Geoffrey Canada
–How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
–The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Another thread of books to read:
If you want more recommendations that aren’t books, check out this thread:
–Roots (1977): Miniseries –Roots (1977): Miniseries based on Alex Haley’s family history. Kunta Kinte is sold into the slave trade after being abducted from his African village, and is taken to the United States. Kinte and his family observe notable events in American history, such as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings and emancipation.
The following thread is a discussion of the impact Roots, from LeVar Burton, the actor who played Kunta Kinte:
–I am Not Your Negro (2016): A documentary based on James Baldwin’s notes for Remember this House, this visual essay focuses on the racism being fought against during the civil rights movement through the storires of Medgar Evers, Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. and James Baldwin himself.
–LA 92 (2017): A documentary discussing the Rodney King trial, and the riots sparked by the verdict, which is available on Netflix right now.
–When They See Us (2019): A drama mini series on Netflix that discusses the case of the Central Park Five.
–Just Mercy (2019): Based on the memoir written by Bryan Stevenson, the film is streaming for free during the month of June in light of George Floyd. You can find links to the different streaming services here.
–Walk on the River (2020): Discusses the history of Black people in San Antonio from the Emancipation Proclamation to the end of Jim Crow segregation laws. There is also an online screening event on Sunday June 7th, which you can learn more about here.
Here are podcasts you can listen to:
-About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
-1619, Code Switch
-The Diversity Gap
-Pod For The Cause
-Pod Save the People
-Intersectionality Matters!
Also wanted to include this episode of Talk Nasty to Me by Nicole Rafiee where she discusses how to be a better ally (She’s also where I got more books, movies and podcast, suggestions so thanks Nicole!)
Here are articles/Twitter threads discussing different cases of police brutality, racist acts, and other events which ultimately led to the loss of another black life:
BlackPast is full of information about the racism and injustices Black people have faced, and continue facing here in the United States. Here is their home page:
Here is a link that talks about the Black Lives Matter Movement, and has more cases of police brutality, and other violent crimes committed against Black people:
-From Voice of San Diego, here is an article discussing how residents of South Eastern San Diego have been treated by the police:
-An article from the ACLU about the disparity in the rates which police pull over Black people vs. White people in San Diego:
-USA Today article discussing George Floyd and the 3 other officers involved being charged along side Derek Chauvin:
-Sky News article discussing the murder of Breonna Taylor:
-CNN article discussing the murder of Ahmaud Arbery:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/24/us/georgia-ahmaud-arbery-killing-narrative/index.html
-Here’s an in-depth look at the Ahmaud Arbery murder, from The Cut:
https://www.thecut.com/2020/05/ahmaud-arbery-shooting-georgia-explainer.html
-The Indy Star discusses the Eric Logan shooting:
-Sandra Bland, who was shot and killed during a traffic stop:
-Shelly Frey was shot to death after being caught shoplifting:
https://abc13.com/archive/8911831/
-Darnesha Williams was only 17 years old when she was shot to death by a police officer:
-Malissa Williams was shot at 137 times, was hit 24 times, and was unarmed:
-The shooting of Shantel Davis, who was unarmed:
https://4wardeveruk.org/cases/cases-abroad/shootings/shantel-davis/
-The shooting of Reika Boyd from BlackPast.Org:
-Final charges dropped in the case of 7 year old Aiyana Stanely-Jones:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/31/detroit-aiyana-stanley-jones-police-officer-cleared
-The shooting of Tarika Wilson, from BlackPast.org:
-Three former Atlanta Police Officers sentenced for the shooting of 92 year old Kathryn Johnston:
-From BlackGirlTragic.com, the story of Kendra James’ shooting:
-An article discussing the murder of Latasha Harlins (March 16, 1991), in which her killer, Soon Ja Du avoided jail time. It also played a part in the LA Riots in 1992, as it happened in South LA:
https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0318-latasha-harlins-20160318-story.html
This thread explains how the concept of the “model minority” impacts relationships between different minority groups (Specifically discusses Korean and Black relations, and then East Asians as a whole):
-Tyrique Hudson was murdered by his neighbor after Hudson was denied a protective order by the court:
-Thread about James Scurlock:
-A thread about the murder and cover up of LaVena Johnson:
-The story of Elijah McClain’s murder by the police:
-I included the stories of a few of the women mentioned in this thread, but this thread sums up each story, and includes petitions you can sign:
More articles to check out:
-Mayor of Temecula (Southern California) resigns over text concerning police conduct:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-mayor-resigns-email-police-killings-71085488#:~:text=TEMECULA%2C%20Calif.,use%20the%20word%20%E2%80%9Cgood.%E2%80%9D
If you want more tips on how to be a better ally, here are a couple threads to check out:
https://twitter.com/basketcasecd/status/1267861479140864000?s=19
This Instagram post lists multiple ways you can help, through organizations you can donate to, hashtags you can follow and more:
Here is a thread with more things you can do if you can’t protest:
This didn’t really have a place under any of the other topics, but I wanted to include this article discussing capitalizing the ‘B’ when discussing Black people:
I also want to add this thread, which talks about all the positive change that has happened so far because of protests and people speaking up. This much has already changed, imagine what could happen if we continue on like this?
Overall, be aware of how your actions and words can impact others. Take the time to learn about Black history in the United States, and what lead up to the protests and outrage of today. One of the best ways I’ve heard it phrased is, “All lives don’t matter until Black lives matter.”
Don’t be afraid to stand up in the name of fighting racism, whether it’s through conversations with family, supporting movements such as Black Lives Matter, donating, or signing petitions. This conversation needs to continue, even after the current movement ends. We will not see true equality until your ability to exist safely in this country isn’t determined by the color of your skin.
While you’re already here, why not check these links out?
Eclectic Erin 
2 thoughts on “How to Help as An Ally for Black Lives Matter”