It’s been 5 days since George Floyd was pinned to the ground by a white Minneapolis police officer’s knee. 5 days since Mr. Floyd pleaded, “Please, I can’t breathe.” Honestly I have been torn about posting about this horrific incident (just the latest in a seemingly unending trail of murderous injustices towards black and brown people in America). To speak now, feels disingenuous and “bandwagon-y,” and honestly gives me a weird icky feeling. This is not something one posts for likes. This is nothing “social” about this media. I have zero desire to be yet another privileged person chiming in on the latest atrocity. But to remain silent is to become complicit. To remain silent is to condone pretending like everything is OK. To all of us who are horrified and feeling helpless - let’s do something MORE than post on social media (though I do not discredit the meaningfulness of voicing your solidarity). I’ve collected just a few of the many ways we can make a difference.
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1. Call the hotline 612-324-4499 to voice your demand for justice.
2. Check out @domrobxrts' IGTV for guides for allies to use our privilege to help.
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3. Go to www.justiceforbigfloyd.com to sign the petition to hold the police officers accountable for the death of George Floyd.
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4. Donate donate donate. There are so many organizations doing the work. Just a few that I’ve researched and have personally donated to:
- Minnesota Freedom Fund - a legal defense fund for protestors arrested in MN (I have heard that they've already received $20M in donations this week so maybe consider some other organizations below)
- Black Lives Matter - LA - the LA chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement led by professor @docmellymel
- Black Visions Collective - Black & queer-led organizers for change
- Reclaim The Block - a call to defund the broken MN police system
- NAACP - fighting against racism since 1909
- ACLU Minnesota Chapter - Call for justice for George Floyd
This is obviously only the tip of the iceberg...but it’s a start. You may agree with all these campaigns, you may agree with some or none. But we urge you to take a stand and take ACTION NOW. This is not about selling shoes. Don’t like this post. Go and DO something.