6 WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

I feel like the systematic racism in American society needs no more introduction. Refer to our other posts for more insight on the issue (This Is America, Protests Sweeping The Globe, No Justice No Peace), but today I’m sharing with you all six ways to contribute to the black lives matter movement.

1. Sign Petitions

I feel like this fact is pretty self-explanatory. A petition is a request to do something, typically addressed to government officials. It's signed by individuals to change an issue they care about. For example, over the murder of George Floyd, there was a petition on change.org to charge all the police officers involved in his death. This, along with multiple worldwide protests, made all the difference. There are many more petitions out there, so be one person among the many to sign them!

Some Petitions:

• Justice for Breonna Taylor

• Justice for Lakeith Smith and A’Donte Washington

• #DefundThePolice 2. Donate money

There are organizations out there seeking your help. Pitching in even $5 will help with a range of expenses, like memorial charges for victims of police brutality. You can donate for multiple issues revolving around the black lives matter movement (Here’s a great resource I found with 20 social justice organizations to give a donation to).

3. Go to protests

Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor, once said “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” What do you think of this? Well I believe this quote is stressing the importance of protesting, which is a huge way to contribute! Protesting shows unity, and speaks to others that many people care that something changes. Thousands of people march together for the same cause, and that shows how critical of a problem it must be. Today, you see that even with the Coronavirus pandemic, there are huge crowds taking to the streets. Stay safe and join a demonstration.

4. Buy from black-owned businesses

Buying from a business owned by someone black is showing that you’ve got their back! This act shows you’re helping out the black community, and that is a very huge thing to do. It may not be a public act, yet it’s more of a “i support you” reassurance.

5. Self educate yourself

This is one of the most important things you can do, in my opinion. Of course, there are many ways to physically show your support, but one crucial thing you can do alone is hit the internet! Dig up books, find TV shows & movies, and stay up to date with the news. Understand how African-Americans were unfairly treated in the past, so you can identify discrimination like that in the present. And spread this information not only to yourself, but to others! Try starting a book club, or “Netflix club” where you watch different titles about systematic racism and discuss them.

Some movies, TV shows, and books:

• The Hate U Give (M & B)

• Ghost Boys (B)

• When They See Us (TV S.)

• 13th (Documentary)

• Selma (M) 6. Put up signs and represent! You need a way to show to others that you care, physically. I say that you should do so by posting signs on your lawn or door, which shows that you're a household supporting the movement. There’s also clothing apparel to wear (Black Lives Matter Official Store), but if you can’t get your hands on those, try sporting an all black look. This way, you're identified as someone against the oppression of black people.