Not Done Yet
It’s been almost a month since the protests for George Floyd started in Minneapolis. And while the protests have only slightly slowed down, the media has all but quit reporting on them which is leading to this idea that systemic racism and the issues black face people in this country are over. This is a lie. As of today, June 23, 2020, only one of Breonna Taylor’s murders has been fired. None of them have been arrested. Elijah McClain was shot in cold blood because he was walking home and someone called to say he was “suspicious” even though he was just walking. The men who killed him have not been charged. Kentucky has removed all but one polling place from one of the largest counties in Kentucky; not surprisingly that county was mostly Black. I could list things like this all day long and could write a post every day about all the things Black people have to deal with on a daily basis, so instead of doing that I wanted to make a list of all of the resources and things that still need to be done and the way we can still help keep the momentum of the movement.
I am not going to lie that it has been incredibly helpful to have such a powerful Instagram feed for keeping me on track with the movement. I get anxiety easily and very badly and have been struggling to keep feeling like I was helping or making a difference. I have often thought “I want this to be over” and have wanted to post the selfie of finally getting my hair done but didn’t because what if that discredits the movement? What if that makes it looks like I don’t care anymore? What if it looks like I am over it and was using the protests to make me look like a good person? But I luckily follow so many amazing people I know in real life and just from the internet who have kept the momentum going, who have kept sharing resources, and also have shared a million tips on how to be a good ally and to keep learning. I also saw a post explaining how its ok if you post some regular content intermixed with the activism content you are publishing. It was written by a black woman who explained how she personally didn’t mind seeing some content from peoples every day lives, as long as she still saw they were working and posting about the movement. She also mentioned how just because someone is posting about it on their Instagram stories, doesn’t mean that they are actively making a difference in their lives. And if someone isn’t posting, they still could be doing positive changes in their lives. It is not our job to call out others unless they are actively posting/writing racist or homophobic things.
Going back to the point, there is still a lot of work to be done. And even though we are losing a little momentum, we can keep up and we can keep it going! I have linked a bunch of things below to keep going when you feel like you have maybe done all you can do! I will be doing a round-up tomorrow of a bunch of great Black-owned clothing brands, so today is simply all a bunch of links to keep you feeling motivated and so you have resources to keep going.
A plan of things you can do daily
How to help protestors if you can’t protest yourself
This is a CNN link that has live, up to date, moment to moment updates on what is going in the BLM movement
A list of resources and ways to help get racial justice in schools
A list of what to do after you have done all the donations and signed all the petitions
Mental health resources for the Black community
A list of 30 petitions to sign if you haven’t already
If you have any more links I missed, please drop them in the comments below! Keep fighting. It is going to take everyone to change this. Listen to the Black voices, they are the ones in charge right now.
Madey
Cover art found here