Upon the tragic loss of George Floyd by way of racism and police brutality, many have taken to social media, signing various petitions, donating to many foundations, and engaging in protests and marches to raise awareness. Helping to spark change alongside the Black Lives Matter movement has taken many different avenues in recent days. Here is a list of ways to be proactive within the movement and advocate for change toward change productively.
1. Donate
If you are financially able to donate, there are many different foundations and organizations accepting donations at this time. Some examples include the Black Lives Matter Movement, various Bail Funds, the GoFundMe of George Floyd’s family, the ACLU, or any other major organizations that are collecting funds. ThisDonating is a great place to start if you are looking for ways to be productively involved with the movement. NY Mag compiled a list of 115 different foundations supporting Black Lives Matter and communities of color. Any amount you have to spare counts.
2. Attend a Protest or a March
Thousands of protests have emerged across three continents in the last week to honor George Floyd and fight for the Black Lives Matter movement. Attending a protest or a march has been proven to make a change and a statement, in addition to unifying individuals on the basis of anti-racism and standing up for common beliefs and values. It is easy to locate the protests and protest organizers in your area with a search on Twitter or Google. Make sure you educate yourself on locations and safety precautions and make signs.
3. Read and Educate Yourself
One very baseline way to join the Black Lives Matter movement is to purchase or borrow an anti-racist book to read in order to better educate yourself on how to confront your privileges and productively join the movement. The New York Times released an anti-racist reading list as well as this piece about what to read during this time to better educate yourself on racism and police brutality against POC. A public Google Drive has also been put together to provide free reading materials.
4. Send texts/call officials
Many different organizations have resources that lead individuals to send messages, emails, and phone calls to congress and other government officials in order to support black voters, minorities, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Some of these include the Color of Change resources on protecting black businesses and voters. You can find your local and state representatives here, and find their contact information as well so that you can send messages about supporting black lives and futures.
5. Sign petitions
There are many petitions you can easily sign online. They cost nothing and take less than 30 seconds to fill out. Color of Change has three active petitions currently seeking justice for Breona Taylor and George Floyd. The Change.org Justice for George Floyd petition has become the most prominent in recent history. Black Lives Matter also has a #defundthepolice petition available here. Signing online petitions enables lawmakers to feel pressure from the people to make a change.
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