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I honestly don't know what to post today… the events of this weekend have totally shocked and saddened me, and anything we would normally post feels incredibly wrong. So I'm just going to post a few quick links to amplify discussions readers are already having — plus some quick links to things that I and my friends are doing — and then post a usual Coffee Break for people who want to have discussions about whatever. Obviously, this list isn't conclusive at all — please add your own suggestions in comments.
Discussions Readers are Having
Small Actions to Take to Help
- Use ResistBot – You can contact your governor and representatives and request:
- that your state enact laws requiring police officers to display their badges at all times — only California has such a law in place right now, and in some cities many officers were taping over their badge numbers (h/t my old law professor, @Heidi Li Feldman).
- that your state build a statewide database for decertified police officers, or take place in a national database (h/t @JulianCastro — who I see now has a lot of good ideas, including abolishing secrecy laws surrounding disciplinary hearings with cops).
- reform for police use of force (start with 5 Calls).
- strong Citizen Review Boards/civilian oversight boards (h/t AOC and numerous others).
- Sign a petition to demand justice for George Floyd. This page lists other petitions to sign.
- Donate – This bail fund from ActBlue splits your donation across multiple cities' funds. This is a thread with links to bail funds for individual cities; Autostraddle has a list of 43 bail funds to support. You can also donate to Black Lives Matter. (Also, see this article from The Cut: “How to Make Sure You’re Donating Effectively.”)
- Support protests from home – Here are some tips from @gendervamp on Twitter.
- Educate yourself – We're rounding up anti-racist books for parents raising white children over at CorporetteMoms, and we've gathered some links below.
- Support Black-owned businesses – here's our round-up of round-ups!
What to Read
- “How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change” – President Obama [Medium]
- “The Case for Reparations” – Ta-Nehisi Coates (2014) [The Atlantic]
- “Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is … A Lot” – Shenequa Golding
[Medium] - “A Timeline of Events that Led to the 2020 “Fed Up”-Uprising” – Michael Harriot [The Root]
- “How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct” [Teen Vogue]
- “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice” [Equality Includes You]
- “13 Books You Should Read About Black Lives” [The Cut]
- Anti-Racism Resources for White People [Google doc]
Anon
I contributed to Unicorn Riot. Some of the other links I saw on social media (like the MN Bail Fund) went to messages saying that enough donations had been received already. Some of the alternate suggested organizations were for policies I’m not on board with (like abolishing police completely), but I felt that Unicorn Riot struck the right balance. I’ve also made donations to my local food bank and another independent media outlet.
UR
Yes, I love Unicorn Riot’s independent coverage of what is happening.
Jo March
I don’t have any additional resources to add, but just wanted to voice support for you posting this. While Corporette is a fashion blog, we all know it has long been more than that given the community in the comments section, and I’m glad to see Kat & team recognize the importance of what’s going on and how we can support racial justice.
Anon
Agreed!
Ses
Yes, thank you for posting this. Looks like a good list.
It’s a fashion blog, but justice is always in style :)
Anon
Agreed – thank you! I’ll follow up on some of these.
Does anyone have a sense for pros and cons of ResistBot vs. old fashioned phone calls?
Rosie
I saw a great photo of a white middle-aged lady holding a sign saying “Karens against police brutality and racism.” Now THAT is fashion for this group of women.
Anon
I’d love resources on how law enforcement can best show their solidarity with protesters. I’m talking small town, not NYPD. There’s obviously large style systemic change that needs to happen. A friend made the local paper because he was hugging the protesters and talking with them. That was criticized by some because they did not kneel down when the protesters did. His dept’s reason for not kneeling is the gentleman that died had someone kneeling on his neck so police kneeling is a look that could be misconstrued right now. I think kneeling when invited to is different from just doing it on their own.
anonshmanon
I feel like taking off their hat/helmet would be a step towards showing respect, when everyone else is kneeling or holding a minute of silence.
The most needed change in law enforcement would be to welcome accountability and civilian oversight, which unfortunately many police unions actively prevent. I am open to believe that most officers wouldn’t commit such violence as we’re seeing, but there is too much protecting bad eggs.
Jess
Yeah, what I want to see most from police is:
a) not wearing riot gear.
b) police not demonizing protesters in the media.
Sloan Sabbith
Here’s a list of anti-racist books: https://bookshop.org/lists/antiracist-reading-list
I’ve read some of them and would also add Color of Law and So You Want to Talk about Race.