#BlackLivesMatter + Sustainably Supporting Black Lives/Communities

#BlackLivesMatter.

Not sure what that means? I suggest watching this Ted Talk with the Black Lives Matter movement founders. This statement is not up for debate - it is not a moment to claim that "all lives matter" - it is a call to join the movement, to fight for and support Black lives and communities in your everyday life.

This post, which is meant to share resources, amplify Black voices and creators, and be a reminder to the fellow white folks who read this that, despite the fact that the media has moved on from George Floyd and police brutality, the work is not over. As a white woman and social worker myself, I have a duty and responsibility to dismantle white supremacy - I hope that you see your duty and responsibility in this fight as well. We cannot let the work that needs to be done for racial equity and Black liberation slide into the background once again. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, like there is nothing you can do, that it is too big of a problem to tackle. That is our white privilege talking, saying that we can now turn off what this moment in time has shown us. We cannot. We must continue to act; this cannot be a moment, and it must be a movement.

Here are some ways you can sustainably support Black lives and communities*: 

• integrate Black-owned businesses/creators into your everyday life 
• download the EatOkra and Black Wall Street apps
• check-out this database of Black-owned businesses in Michigan
• see this list of books by Black authors ("for you to buy and read because they're excellent books, not just tools for you to be less racist")
• set-up recurring donations to Black organizations
• personally, I set-up monthly donations with the Detroit Justice Center, Black Visions Collective, and Stand with Trans
• read books and watch documentaries continuously (i.e. have a goal to do one once a month)
• see the bottom of this post for a list of books I own - and would be happy to lend to anyone who is interested; just send me a message!
• here is a list of great books and documentaries that will help inform you
• have conversations on anti-racism with family/friends
• a good resource for how to begin these discussions 

*These ideas are borrowed from @allies4blm_oc on Instagram.

For more resources like the ones I linked in this post, head to my Instagram profile and see the story highlight titled "RESOURCES". Please be on the lookout for more posts regarding racial equity and Black liberation in the future, and feel free to let me know what you would like to learn more about. 

Stay Beautiful,
Sadie

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Here is the list of books I own (and would be happy to lend to others):

• White Fragility - Robin DiAngelo
• Bad Feminist - Roxane Gay 
• Are Prisons Obsolete? - Angela Davis 
• Citizen: An American Lyric - Claudia Rankine 
• How to be an Anti-Racist - Ibram X. Kendi
• The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander
• The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

Wanting more than what is discussed here? See this resource guide created by a class at the University of Michigan School of Social Work.