#BlackLivesMatter

Over the last couple of weeks, as we watched the inhumane killing of George Floyd and followed the protests that swept the United States, we have felt anger, sadness, and hope.

The pain of seeing such injustice, such entrenched inequity, is only deepened by the knowledge that this is not a unique incidence.

As an organization rooted in the belief that everyone has a right to belong, we have been wondering: how can we contribute to this movement, how can we amplify the voices of those who have been denied justice, and how can we help make this a moment of change?

While we take time to reflect on these questions, we decided to compile a list of resources to help educate ourselves and our wider community on not only the historical injustices, but also on stories of resilience, and what we can all do to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

We invite you to: 
Read, 
Listen, 
Watch, and 
Act.

Read

“Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge”

Writing in the LA Times, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar urges us to understand the critical importance of this moment in recognizing and dismantling the institutional racism that has long constricted the Black community’s access to justice, education, health, and security.

“Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands.”

10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship

1. pic.twitter.com/mSpH3nXm4l

— Mireille Cassandra Harper (@mireillecharper) May 29, 2020

Read Mireille Cassandra Harper’s Twitter thread with 10 tangible ways to engage in activism that goes beyond optical allyship. See this version for text only.

“The intersectionality wars”

“Intersectionality” was coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a civil rights activist and legal scholar, and defined in Merriam-Webster as: “the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.” As intersectionality has grown to develop its own interpretations by activists and conservatives, Joan Coaston unpacks the true intentions and origins of this term.

Listen

“1619” Audio Series

Four hundred years ago, in August 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. “1619” by the New York Times examines the 250 years of slavery that followed, indelibly shaping the United States we know today.

Black History Month Playlist

Listen to this playlist by the National Museum of African American Music curated by GRAMMY Award winning producer and songwriter, Shannon Sanders, featuring themes of hope, progress, and inspiration.

“Silence, on respire“

Montreal-based author Marilou Craft’s spoken word pays tribute to George Floyd and others, all while re-discovering how to breathe during this suffocating time.

Watch

“Glory”

Youth poets, Soledad, Jovan, Lee and Jamal, perform spoken word during the 18th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, raising a battle cry for resilience and Black joy.

James Baldwin’s Speech on Civil Rights

Speaking at the University of Berkeley in 1979, author James Baldwin offers profound insights that are particularly resonant today, as he reflects on his experiences as a Black writer and the dynamics underlying the civil rights movement.

“13th” Documentary

Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay’s examination of the United States prison system looks at how the country’s history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America.

Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers

Watch this National LGBTQ Task Force panel discussion on the ways that Black Feminism shapes and informs the current struggles and successes of the contemporary movement for Black lives against racism and structural violence.

Act

Letters for Black Lives

Letters for Black Lives is a set of crowdsourced, multilingual, and culturally-aware resources aimed at creating a space for open and honest conversations about racial justice, police violence, and anti-Blackness in our families and communities.

Anti-Racist Organizational Change

CommunityWise Resource Centre has created a guide for non-profits seeking to incorporate anti-racist policies in every aspect of their organization’s structure.

Anguish and Action Resources

The Obama Foundation has compiled a list of resources for people to take action to create a more just and equitable world.