a rising tide
“What choice will we make? What world will we create? What will we be?”
—Ibram X. Kendi
Originally, this piece was going to be called “The Trap of “Authenticity” and the Rewards of Cultural Colonization,” inspired by the Alison Roman and Chrissy Teigen drama and unpacking the political and socioeconomic nuances of “selling out” and “authenticity,” and the complex history of cultural ownership and invisible domestic labor of people of color as it pertains to the marginalization of Asian-Americans.
But after two very different incidents of racism—the attempted swatting of Christian Cooper and the tragic murder of George Floyd by police—it is impossible to discuss the oppression of Asian-Americans without acknowledging systemic racism and the importance of intersectionality.
As ”white adjacent,” Asian-Americans are simultaneously exploited by and excluded from white privilege; the “model minority” myth is both damaging to Asians and used as a tool of anti-Blackness. This is not to compare degrees of oppression, but to show that all minorities are equally worthless in the eyes of white supremacy, and that solidarity is the only solution. The real strength of minorities—racial minorities, the LGBTQ community, religious minorities—is the communities that we build, and for a long time, those communities have been insulated from one another without much effort. Under white supremacy, everyone else loses and we need to stop playing egalitarianism as a zero-sum game. A rising tide lifts all boats.
For the Asian-American community, our obligation to help is both moral and practical. Standing up for the Black community is the right thing to do, but it is also the first step in dismantling a racist system that keeps minority communities marginalized. If you are outraged by Asian-Americans being associated with the coronavirus and the increase of anti-Asian incidents, then you should be angry about this too. We need to stop thinking about our relationship with the Black community in terms of reciprocity. There is no comfortable metaphor for their experience that will make sense to you.
The Alison Roman incident is merely an expression of white supremacy and capitalism, two systems that govern our society and are equally oppressive. Comparing a food writer’s rant to the institutional murder of Black citizens can feel melodramatic, but these systems are inextricably tied. It is both the reason that a white woman believed she could weaponize the police against a peaceful birdwatcher and the reason that George Floyd’s was murdered with the camera rolling. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote that he feared the white moderate more than the KKK, people that demand order and civility (or “authenticity”) while upholding the racist systems that kill Black people by the thousands every year. Sure, we could focus on the glaring racism that’s easy to call out, like people that wear Blackface or make the slanty-eyed gesture in photos, but it’s much more interesting (and arguably more important) to examine the subtler and perhaps far more nefarious ways in which white supremacy is maintained and enforced by non-Black liberals.
Today is the last day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It’s also the 99th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre in Oklahoma, the “single worst incident of racial violence in American History,” in which a white mob descended on the affluent Black community known as “Black Wall Street,” slaughtered hundreds of Black Americans, and burned and looted their businesses. The whole world is watching to see how we will respond. And it’s important that we stand as allies with the Black community at this literal life-or-death moment in history.
This is a living document and will be updated accordingly. If you have any additional resources or suggestions, please email me or use the contact form.
quick links
do your homework • support the movement and community • practice allyship
1. research & fact check
Don’t rely on Black people to educate you or snippets you see on social media—research the movement to understand both the current situation and the historical context.
I. George Floyd and current protests
“Who was George Floyd? Unemployed due to coronavirus, he’d moved to Minneapolis for a fresh start.”, Chicago Tribune
“Minneapolis Man: Cop Who Kneeled on George Floyd ‘Tried to Kill Me’ in 2008”, The Daily Beast
“Public Health Experts Say the Pandemic Is Exactly Why Protests Must Continue”, Slate
“We’re Keeping A Running List Of Hoaxes And Misleading Posts About The Nationwide Police Brutality Protests”, BuzzFeed News
The Past 72 Hours [source needed]
“‘My son didn't hurt nobody’: David McAtee, Louisville business owner, killed by authorities”, Courier Journal
Community dispatch from Minneapolis, @Danez_Smif
“The Minneapolis Police Chief Promised Change. He Got a Disaster.”, The Wall Street Journal
[thread] Some books to make sense of this moment, @marclamonthill
II. Police violence, the prison-industrial complex in America, and the origins of #BlackLivesMatter
Mapping Police Violence, Mapping Police Violence
[thread] What we know about police violence based on data collected over the years, @samswey
“A Brief History of Slavery and the Origins of American Policing”, Eastern Kentucky University
“George Floyd’s death reflects the racist roots of American policing”, The Conversation
[thread] Chicago 1968 and the militarization of police, @KevinMKruse
There were only 27 days in 2019 that police did not kill someone, @Public_Citizen
[thread] Police are America’s largest organized criminal enterprise, @kthorjensen
[thread] How abolishing the police would work, @wretched_flowers_
[thread] Police brutality against peaceful protesters, @greg_doucette
[thread] Police inciting violence at protests, @e1dak
Supercut of police violence toward peaceful protesters during George Floyd protests, @JordanUhl
“Yes, Black America Fears the Police. Here’s Why.”, ProPublica
“My Encounters with Police Officers in the United States”, Ty Ahmad-Taylor
Enough is Enough!, MPD 150
Prison Abolition and Alternatives to Incarceration Starter Resources, Elly Belle, K & Micah Herskind
School-to-Prison Pipeline, American Civil Liberties Union
For-Profit Prisons Top Recipients, OpenSecrets
“Target Has a Long History With the Minneapolis Police”, Slate
“Exclusive: The US Military Is Monitoring Protests in 7 States”, The Nation
“The Systems That Protect the Police”, The Daily
“Violence in Blue”, Granta (an incredible one-third of all Americans killed by strangers are killed by police)
“Fearing for His Life”, The Verge
“Examining the Role of Use of Force Policies in Ending Police Violence”, SSRN
The New York Times uses passive voice for police violence and active voice for protester actions, @nytimes (actively divorces police from their actions while emphasizing the “violence” of protesters, creating a one-sided narrative = journalistic malpractice)
A World Without Police: Study Guide, For A World Without Police
“What ‘Defund the Police’ Really Means, and How It Could Be Effective”, Esquire
“Policing is a Dirty Job, But Nobody’s Gotta Do It: 6 Ideas for a Cop-Free World”, Rolling Stone
[thread] Systemic racism, explained, @braeanneori
[thread] Camden, New Jersey police use-of-force policy, @JamesSurowiecki
[thread] Camden, New Jersey police reform, @KevinDy3r
III. Amy Cooper, manufactured hysteria, and the role of white women in white supremacy
“You shouldn’t need a Harvard degree to survive birdwatching while black”, The Washington Post
“Amy Cooper and the White Embrace of Racism”, Danielle Moodie
“This Social-Media Mob Was Good”, The Atlantic
“5 Racist Anti-Racism Responses “Good” White Women Give to Viral Posts”, KatyKatiKate
“Amy Cooper, White Spaces, and the Political Project of Whiteness”, Wear Your Voice
“The Tricky Exceptionalism of ‘Fellow White Women’”, Jezebel
“Millions of Amy Coopers”, The Cut
The Murder of Emmett Till, Library of Congress
“When White Women Cry: How White Women's Tears Oppress Women of Color”, Education Resources Information Center
IV. Systemic racism, oppression, and anti-Blackness in America
“America Wasn’t a Democracy Until Black Americans Made It One”, The 1619 Project
7 Ways We Know Systemic Racism Is Real, Ben & Jerry’s
“Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?”, The Atlantic
“Educator Jane Elliott Talks Trump, Kaepernick and Fixing Racism”, NBC News
“George Floyd’s Murder Shows Once More That We Cannot Wait For White America to End Racism”, Time
“Being African American & LGBTQ: An Introduction”, Human Rights Campaign
“Black Women, Books, and the Quest for Liberation: A Reading List”, Black Women Radicals
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (you can read an excerpt in The Atlantic)
Racism as a System, The People’s School of DC
“Being black in America: The hope, rage and heartbreak that comes with it”, Cleveland.com
Reading list: Race, white supremacy, and anti-Black racism in America, Rachel Miller
“James Baldwin: How to Cool It”, Esquire
Lemonade Syllabus, Candice Benbow
A Seat at the Table Syllabus, Lauren Barber, Mankaprr Conteh, Alex Dean, Erica Jordan, and Ann Nguyen
[thread] Some readings if this moment is radicalizing you, @thebryreed
Black History Month Library by Charles Preston
Systemic racism facts and figures, @christinamilian
Systemic racism explained, @salmasekela
[thread] Movies worth watching, @alissamarie
COVID-19 has disproportionately affected communities of color, which lack the resources, education, and money to protect and treat their citizens
More visibility and more equal economic opportunities lead to greater community prosperity and higher representation in the 2020 Census, which by some circular logic determines how much funding and resources communities receive
In New York City, the hardest-hit boroughs are those that have high percentages of minorities—the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn—and in Manhattan, which has perhaps fared best of all, the two areas affected relatively worst are Chinatown and Harlem
This is especially egregious when you learn that populations in the wealthiest neighborhoods in Manhattan decreased by as much as 40% when the pandemic began, as the wealthy fled the city to their second homes
Some resource lists:
FUNDS by @FRIDAHALO
Resources to help Black people/Communities [source needed]
May 28 Resistance Funds [source needed]
Alternatives to the Police Master-List: Building Self-Sufficient Communities [source needed]
WFPC Mutual Aid + Community Resource Guide, Women For Political Change
Resources for Accountability and Action for Black Lives by Carlisa Johnson
1. sign petitions
If you live internationally and cannot sign petitions without an American postal code, use any of these:
90015, Los Angeles, CA
10001, New York, NY
75001, Dallas, TX
I. No actions taken (still need signatures and public pressure!)
Charge the Hennepin County Medical Examiner for minimizing George Floyd's C.O.D., Change.org
Justice for Breonna Taylor, Change.org
#JusticeforBre: Police officers who killed Breonna Taylor must be FIRED., ColorOfChange
#JusticeforBre: Police officers who killed Breonna Taylor must be FIRED, MoveOn
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery, NAACP
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery! I Run with Maud!, Change.org
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery, Change.org
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery, Change.org
Disbarment of George E. Barnhill, Change.org
Bob Kroll Must Go., ColorOfChange
Criminal Charges for Travis & Greg McMichael in the murder of Black Jogger Ahmaud Arbery, Change.org
#JusticeforAhmaud: District Attorneys George Barnhill & Jackie Johnson must be REMOVED from office, ColorOfChange
#JUSTICEFORANDRES SHOW FOOTAGE OF THE BRUTAL SHOOTING OF ANDRES GUARDADO, Change.org
Justice for Malcolm Harsch, Change.org
Justice for Elijah McClain, Change.org
Justice for Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, Change.org
JUSTICE FOR TETE, Change.org
Justice for Robert Fuller, Change.org
Justice For Tamir Rice, Change.org
Justice for Tamir Rice, MoveOn
Justice for Trayvon Martin, Change.org
Demand Justice for Tony McDade, The Action Network
I want Sandra Bland’s case reopened., Change.org
Justice For Emerald Black, Change.org
FIRE JARED CAMPBELL, Change.org
Justice for Belly Mujinga., Change.org
JUSTICE FOR REGIS KORCHINSKI-PAQUET, Change.org
Reopen Darrius Stewart's Murder Case, Change.org
JUSTICE FOR ALEJANDRO VARGAS MARTINEZ!!!, Change.org
FREE SIYANDA, Change.org
Reopen Kendrick Johnson's Case #J4Kendrick, Change.org
Justice For Joāo Pedro, Change.org
Julius Jones is innocent. Don't let him be executed by the state of Oklahoma., Change.org
Willie Simmons has served 38 years for a $9 robbery, Change.org
Reopen Kendrick Johnson's Case #J4Kendrick, Change.org
Reopen LaVena Johnson’s Case!, Change.org
Reopen Kenneka Jenkins Case, Change.org
Justice for Darrien Hunt - Reopen his case, Change.org
#freejeffersonelie, Change.org
FREE ANTHONY WINT, Change.org
Justice for Amiya Braxton, Change.org
Justice for Jennifer Jeffley, Change.org
OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION INTO THE OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING OF ERIC JACK LOGAN, Change.org
NATIONAL ACTION AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY! PROSECUTE POLICE WHO MURDER UNARMED INDIVIDUALS!, Change.org
JUSTICE FOR ALTON STERLING, Change.org
II. Actions taken (justice pending; arrests made, officers charged, authorities resigned)
Put the Minneapolis police officers who killed George Floyd in prison, Change.org
Demand justice for George Floyd, Amnesty International
#JusticeforFloyd: Demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder, ColorOfChange
Justice for George Floyd, Change.org
#JusticeforFloyd: Demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder, MoveOn
MURDER CHARGES AGAINST COPS WHO MURDERED GEORGE FLOYD, Change.org
The Minneapolis Police Officers to be charged for murder after killing innocent black man, Change.org
MPD Officers to be charged with the murder of George Floyd, Change.org
RAISE THE DEGREE, Change.org (do not advocate for raising to first degree; prosecutors would have to prove that it was premeditated and there’s no proof that it was!)
JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD, Change.org
Prosecute the murderers who killed George Floyd, Change.org
Justice For George Floyd, We the People (this is an official White House petition; make sure you confirm your signature via email within 48 hours so that it is verified and counted)
III. General legislative action and social justice
Hands Up Act, Change.org
Mandatory Life Sentence for Police Brutality, Change.org
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery - Pass Georgia Hate Crime Bill, Change.org
Take the Pledge: We Are the Movement for Black Lives, OrganizeFor
#DefundThePolice, Black Lives Matter
JUNK THE ANTI-TERRORISM BILL AND UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS!, Change.org
Call on major retailers to pledge 15% of their shelf space to black-owned businesses, The Fifteen Percent Pledge
Battle racism by updating GCSE reading lists, Change.org
2. donate
Do not donate to Shaun King or any of his affiliated organizations (The North Star, Real Justice PAC, The Action PAC) or Change.org. Shaun King has been repeatedly accused of falsifying fundraisers and it is unclear how the profits are distributed [1] [2] [3], and Change.org is a for-profit company that does not redistribute donations [1] [2] [3]. If you are donating by Venmo or CashApp, do not mention anything related to Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, justice, bail, protests, etc. in the description; your payment could be canceled.
Why fixing the US bail system is tricky, Vox (a practical case for donating to bail funds)
Don’t know where to donate? Start here, @sir_twitch_alot
I. Black grassroots organizations and mutual aid funds
Black Lives Matter: The official #BlackLivesMatter Global Network that builds power to bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe
Women for Political Change: A Minnesota-based non-profit network of young women and trans/non-binary folks building political power
National Bail Out: A Black-led, Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers, and activists building a community-based movement to end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration
The Audre Lord Project: An LGBTQ people of color community organizing center focused on the NYC area
Gas mask fund for Black youth in Minneapolis
Mutual Aid Fund for Sex Workers of Color on GoFundMe
Black Earth Farms (Venmo in bio): A grassroots pan-African and pan-indigenous farming collective that provides free meals for Black folks in the Bay Area
Black Futures Labs: A project that helps Black people transform their communities, build Black political power, and change the way that power operates on local, statewide, and national levels by engaging Black voters year-round
The Okra Project: A collective that brings home-cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals to Black trans people
The Black Trans Travel Fund: A mutual aid fund that provides Black transgender women in New York and New Jersey with financial resources to pay for car services in both states
Trans Women of Color Survival Fund: Assists with a range of financial needs for trans women of color including food, car fare, hygiene products, clothing; they also focus on restorative justice and building socioeconomic growth and development for its members
Homeless Black Trans women fund on GoFundMe
Emergency Release Fund is a grassroots organization that is committed to keeping transgender people in New York City out of jail
Black Trans Protestors Emergency Fund: Supports Black trans protestors with resources such as bail and medical care
II. Memorial crowdfunding
Elijah McClain on GoFundMe
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund on GoFundMe
OFFICIAL Gianna Floyd Fund (George Floyd’s child) on GoFundMe
GEORGE FLOYD (BIGFLOYD) on GoFundMe (a campaign organized by his sister to support his kids and family)
Peace and Healing for Darnella (the 17-year-old girl that witnessed and filmed George Floyd’s death) on GoFundMe
Justice for Breonna Taylor (official)(#BREEWAYY) on GoFundMe
I Run With Maud on GoFundMe
In Memory of Tony McDade on GoFundMe
Justice for David McAtee on GoFundMe
III. Social justice and advocacy organizations
The ACLU: The American Civil Liberties Union works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States (read more here)
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice through litigation, advocacy, and public education
Southern Poverty Law Center: An organization dedicated to fighting hate and seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society
Voices for Racial Justice: An organization committed to building power through collective cultural and healing strategies for racial justice across Minnesota using organizing, leadership training, community policy & research
Campaign Zero: The comprehensive platform of research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America
Communities Against Police Brutality: Offers support for survivors of police brutality and families of victims so they can reclaim their dignity and join the struggle to end police brutality
Communities for Police Reform: A coalition to end discriminatory policing practices in New York, bringing together a movement of community members, lawyers, researchers and activists to work for change
National Police Accountability Project: A project of the National Lawyers Guild to promote the accountability of law enforcement officers and their employers for violations of the Constitution and the laws of the United States
Equal Justice Initiative: An organization dedicated to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenge racial and economic injustice
We Are Done Dying: An NAACP initiative focused on criminal justice reform that ensures the protection of Black lives
Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative: An initiative committed to providing legal resources to those in need
Emergency Release Fund: Bail fund for New York state trans inmates in dangerous conditions due to COVID-19
The Ramsey Orta Welcome Home Fund: The man who was put in jail for filming Eric Garner’s death
IV. Community bail funds, mutual aid funds, and other resources for cities affected:
Split your donation between 40 community bail funds
Directory of Community Bail Funds, Bail Funds/Legal Help by City, and a list of (verified) community bail funds by state: Bail funds provide financial assistance for bail and post-release support
Atlanta, GA: Support #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd Protesters in Atlanta, Atlanta Solidarity Fund, Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund
Bay Area, CA: Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America, Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee Bail Fund, Anti-Police Terror Project, People’s Programs Oakland
Boston, MA: Massachusetts Bail Fund, Solidarity Supply Distro
Chicago, IL: Chicago Community Bond Fund
Columbus, OH: Columbus Freedom Fund
Las Vegas, NV: Vegas Freedom Fund
Los Angeles, CA: Peoples City Council Freedom Fund, COVID-19 Mutual Aid Network
Louisville, KY: Louisville Community Bail Fund, Louisville Mutual Aid
Minneapolis, MN: Public Goods
NYC: The Liberty Fund, BailoutNYCMay, COVID Bail Out NYC, The Bronx Freedom Fund, Mutual Aid NYC
Philadelphia, PA: Mutual Aid Philly
Portland, OR: Don’t Shoot PDX, General Defense Committee, Portland Action Medics
Richmond, VA: Richmond Community Bail Fund, Richmond Mutual Aid
San Diego, CA: San Diego Communtiy Fnd
Salt Lake City, UT: COVID Mutual Aid, Salt Lake City Community Bail
Seattle, WA: Northwest Community Bail Fund, COVID-19 Survival Fund for the People
Washington, D.C.: East Of The River Mutual Aid Fund
National Lawyers Guild: Volunteer lawyers, law students, legal works, and jailhouse lawyer membres of the first racially integrated U.S. bar association
The Bail Project: A national revolving bail fund that prevents incarceration and combats racial and economic disparities in the bail system
Unicorn Riot: A decentralized, educational 501(c)(3) non-profit media organization, dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues through amplifying stories and exploring sustainable alternatives
North Star Health Collective: A collective of doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers for protesters
The Legal Rights Center: Provides criminal defense and legal services for low-income people of color in and around Minneapolis, including arrested protesters
Send money and gifts or email incarcerated Black folks with JailATM
[Temporarily deprioritized] Minnesota Freedom Fund (statement), Free Them All (statement), Brooklyn Community Bail Fund (statement), Reclaim the Block (statement), Philadelphia Community Bail Fund (statement)
3. contact your representatives and demand justice and policy reform
Join the #8Can’tWait campaign and check to see if your city enacts the eight policies that could reduce police violence up to 72% (it’s a small start, but it’s something!); if not, you can find your mayor’s contact information
By phone call
[Minneapolis, MN] District Attorney Mike Freeman (612) 348-5550 & Mayor Jacob Frey (612) 673-2100: Demand that the four officers involved in the murder of George Floyd—Derek Chauvin (Badge 1087), Tou Thao (Badge 7162), Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng are charged and brought to justice
[Louisville, KY] Mayor Greg Fisher (502) 753-1784: Demand that the chief of police be fired for the mishandling of protests and police violence, and that Johnathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove be charged for the murder of Breonna Taylor and fired without a pension
5Calls: A service that provides phone numbers for causes you care about and sends you weekly email reminders
Defund the NYPD by contacting the city’s budget department before July 1st, @_erichu (here is a commitment tracker from @LuMerriam)
By email
Here are some email templates based on data-backed policy changes + where to send them
Email government officials and council members to reallocate egregious police budgets towards education, social services, and dismantling racial inequality with one click
Email policereview@minneapolismn.gov, minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov, police@minneapolismn.gov, or citizeninfo@hennepin.us (I’ve included an email template, so all you have to do is fill it out!)
Pre-written email templates demanding justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor
Email Mayor Greg Fisher and demand Justice for Breonna Taylor
Email the United Nations on behalf of the NAACP to declare the mistreatment of Black people in the United States a human rights violation and impose sanctions, @VivaLaNneoma (I’ve already added her email template)
Email with one click to defund the LAPD (email template included)
Autofill email to disband the Portland Police Department
Autofill email to defund Multnomah County racist policing
By texting
Text FLOYD to 55156 to demand that the officers responsible for the murder George Floyd are charged
Text ENOUGH to 55156 to demand justice for Breonna Taylor
Text JUSTICE to 55156 to demand that District Attorneys George Barnhill and Jackie Johnson are removed from office
Text Resistbot (50409) any number of keywords for information and actions
4. show solidarity by joining a protest
Make sure you stay safe! Do not agitate the police and try to protect Black/brown people and deescalate when you can. If you witness violence, do not share pictures/videos of protesters (i.e. minimize harm by practicing responsible reporting) that can be used to identify them later.
Safety During Protest, Amnesty International
A Guide to Protesting, Women For Political Change
Field Medic Guide, Paper Revolution
Write the number for the local hotline of the National Lawyers Guild on your arm in case of arrest
Guide to protesting safely, @aoc
This iPhone shortcut can help people quickly text a video of their encounter with police
“How Do I Prepare My Phone for a Protest?”, The Markup
From my friend @jessicaprk, a law student: If you see someone in a brightly-colored hat taking notes, do not talk to them; they are there as a neutral party to observe, record, and keep law enforcement accountable by taking objective, legally relevant notes and deterring unlawful behavior so don’t give any prosecutors reason to believe they are biased
[thread] Know your rights while protesting, @ACLU
[thread] Master list of safety tips, @duanweis
[thread] Advice from a public defender, @storysaveslives
[thread] For non-Black protesters, @EsaIndigena
[thread] Protest tips from Hong Kong, @indigouna
[thread] Hong Kong protest tactics, @jjkisbabie
[thread] Tactics used by Egyptian protesters, @motherzane
[thread] How to intervene as a bystander, @FeelingFisky
[thread] Using your privilege as a shield, @jenerous
Facts About Riot Control Agents, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[thread] Precautions for engaging in violent protests, @AngelAerin777
[thread] How to survive protests in 2020, @cointel__bro
[thread] How to treat someone affected by tear gas, @Rekokoros
[thread] How to treat a bullet wound, @medicaIchemist
[thread] How to safely protest, @relaxedradical
[thread] Quick protest tips, @R0KAFRU1T
Undoing a zip tie with a bobby pin, @maikocosplay
[thread] Lawyers offering pro bono services to protesters, @roywoodjr
[thread] Lawyers offering pro bono services to protesters, @riyakatariax
5. if you can’t protest or donate, find other ways to amplify the movement
Celebrate Breonna Taylor’s birthday with this list of action items, @battymamzelle
26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets, Beyond the Streets
Donate your Sephora Beauty Insider points
[thread] Free things you can do for the Black Lives Matter movement, @swankalang
[thread] Starting meaningful reform via grassroots organization, @a_killah_killa
[thread] What to do if you can’t donate right now, @traderjosephina
[thread] Showing support from home, @LEXartistes
6. support black businesses
[thread] A list of Black businesses destroyed during protests that you can help rebuild, @hopewrlds
[thread] GoFundMes and donation sites for Minneapolis Black- and brown-owned businesses, @notsamiira
[thread] Black-owned small businesses, @roohiamber
[thread] Black businesses affected by the protests that you can help, @TheyLoveTraviee
Black Business Directory, NYCBlack
Map of black businesses, Black-Owned Brooklyn
40 Black-Owned Businesses in Harlem, SHOPPE BLACK
Black-owned businesses, @TheMissLa
“Black-Owned Restaurant Lists Circulating the Internet, Organized by City”, Bon Appétit
“12 Black-Owned Bookstores You Can Support Right Now”, BuzzFeed News
Black-owned bookstores in the United States, African American Literature Book Club
“Black-Owned Restaurants and Businesses You Can Support Right Now”, Entrepreneur
“50+ Black-owned wellness businesses to support now and always”, Well+Good
[thread] Black-owned businesses you can shop at online, @jadealycebod
[thread] Black brands for essentials, @maurachanz
7. check on your black friends
Be empathetic to the immense amount of emotional trauma of a pandemic + nationwide police violence against Black Americans, and look for ways to help them
Don’t ask them to educate you
Consider sending money, food, or care packages to let them know that you’re thinking of them and ease their mental and emotional load
“Please stop “just checking in” on your black co-workers”, Tiffany Dockery
“Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay — Chances Are They’re Not”, Refinery29
Self-Care Tips for Black People Who Are Struggling With This Very Painful Week, VICE
[thread] How to check in on your Black friends, @makirollOFC
[thread] Mental health resources for Black people, @mayarichardsun
Well Williamsburg is offering free therapy for POC experiencing trauma
1. acknowledge your privilege (and understand your limits)
You can be simultaneously oppressed and privileged. Privilege does not mean that you don’t have problems; it just means that worrying about being murdered isn’t one of them.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
—Desmond Tutu
I. White privilege and complicity in white supremacy (for white people and non-Black minorities)
Don’t compare your oppression to the oppression of Black people, and don’t tell them how to feel
#RecognizeRacism, both overt and covert, by @jaygrady
Don’t condemn rioting or looting—businesses are replaceable while human lives are not
It is not your place to tell people how to protest; Black people have every right to burn down a country that was built on and profits off of their blood and their pain
Focus on the experiences of Black people—you don’t need to defend Black people “as a minority,” because their experiences, not yours, should be front and center
Recognize the need for accountability for complicity in systems of white supremacy and and challenge internalized “model minority” beliefs
White Privilege Checklist, Alliance of Local Service Organizations
Privilege Checklist, Boise State University
[thread] Things that get in the way of being an effective ally, @jacklamlj
“Why you should stop saying “all lives matter,” explained in 9 different ways”, Vox
“Why You Need to Stop Saying “All Lives Matter””, Harper’s Bazaar
“The officer who stood by as George Floyd died is Asian American. We need to talk about that.”, NBC News
“You Owe Me An Apology”, Elle
Our Black History Month Reading List for Asian Americans, 18 Million Rising
“Dear White People: Here Are 10 Actions You Can Take To Promote Racial Justice In The Workplace”, Forbes
“How White People Can Be Better Allies to the Black Community”, Wit & Delight
“Black and Asian-American Feminist Solidarities: A Reading List”, Black Women Radicals
“30+ Ways Asians Perpetuate Anti-Black Racism Everyday”, Michelle Kim
“The Heineken Ad Is Worse Than The Pepsi Ad, You’re Just Too Stupid To Know It”, Didi Delgado
Journal prompts and conversation starters to explore white privilege and white supremacy, @lisaoliveratherapy
Beads of Privilege activity, Feminist Agenda
A quick guide to microaggressions, @businessinsider
Types of racial microaggressions and their effects, @mengwe
The dangers of the “I don’t see color” mentality, @ohhappydani
[thread] Privilege: What it means and how we see it, @chalkandleaves
Asian-Americans’ complicity in anti-Blackness, @trinhqvyen
Asian-Americans cannot be silent second-class citizens, @Alythuh
Why saying all lives matter is not helpful, problematic, & wrong, @blessthismessy
[thread] 8 Lessons About Racism That Were Helpful to Me as a White Person, @jenerous
[thread] Examples of white fragility, @i_weigh
[thread] A Guide to White Privilege, @courtneyahndesign
II. The historical case for solidarity among minority communities and intersectionality
“How the civil rights movement opened the door to immigrants of color”, Facing South
“Intersectional feminism: what it means and why it matters right now”, Medium
[thread] The Asian-American community’s roots in the Civil Rights Movement, @sheenasamu
[thread] Asians for Black lives, @miscalculasian
[thread] If you are Desi-American and your family immigrated here after 1965, you owe that to the Civil Rights Movement, @southasiansmh
Dear brown conservatives, @rish.dog
[thread] Why the Women’s March wasn’t violent, @rachel.cargle
III. Useful and practical allyship and emapthy
[thread] 10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship, @mireillecharper
[thread] On thoughtful ways to engage with privilege, @dr.alexandra.solomon
[thread] A moment of reflection, @adolescentcontent
[thread] What to do when you don’t know what to say (or your ego is triggered): A guide to having revolutionary conversations, @hailethomas
[thread] How to talk to your family about racism: A guide for white people
Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
15 Things You Can Do To Be A Better Ally To The Bla(c)k Community, BuzzFeed
Ally Skills Workshop + YouTube video, Frame Shift Consulting
“Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is...A Lot”, Shenequa Golding
Letters for Black Lives (how to talk to your family about Black Lives Matter in multiple languages)
“75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice”, Corinne Shutack
“6 Ways Asian Americans Can Tackle Anti-Black Racism in Their Families”, Everyday Feminism
“20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now”, Michelle Kim
“11 Things To Do Besides Say ‘This Has To Stop’ In The Wake Of Police Brutality”, HuffPost
FANTASY WORLD MASTER LIST OF RESOURCES ON HOW TO DISMANTLE SYSTEMIC RACISM by Patia
“Deescalation and Interventions”, Side with Love
Alternatives to Calling the Police, Unitarian Universalist Association
The Abolitionist Toolkit, Critical Resistance
“5 Ways White People Can Take Action in Response to White and State-Sanctioned Violence”, Showing Up for Racial Injustice
What to Do Instead of Calling the Police, Aaron Rose
“How do I make sure I'm not raising the next Amy Cooper?”, CNN
[thread] Children’s books that discuss race and racism, @wanderingbritt_
[thread] 100 Ways White People Can Make Life Less Frustrating For People of Color, @privtoprog
[thread] Do’s and don’ts of allyship, @wastefreemarie
“6 Ways to Activate Beyond Social Media”, @jezzchung
[thread] On the misappropriation of the Black power symbol, @aangbenders
Allyship during a crisis (a roadmap to providing relief), @ohhappydani
III. On riots and looting
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
—Martin Luther King Jr.
“Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge”, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
“This Is What You Get”, Jezebel
“An American Uprising”, The New Yorker
In Their Own Words: Why We Are Protesting, The L.A. Times
Activist Killer Mike speaking about the riots on CNN, @TimRunsHisMouth
[thread] On the hypocrisy of condemning riots, @brokeymcpoverty
“The Double Standard of the American Riot”, The Atlantic
On outside instigators, looting, rioting, and “other anti-Black property nonsense”, @raceip
[thread] It is not your choice to determine how an oppressed group protests, @thisisyolandarenteria
“How to respond to “riots never solve anything!””, Rafi D’Angelo
2. work toward becoming anti-racist
It is your personal responsibility to actively seek out ways to be a good ally; it is not the job of Black people to teach you.
The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.
—Ijeoma Oluo
Anti-Racism Resources, Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein
Anti-Racism Resource Guide, Victoria Alexander
ANTIRACIST ALLYSHIP STARTER PACK, Tatum Dorrell, Matthew Herndon, and Jourdan Dorrell
Shareable Anti-Racism Resource Guide, Tasha K
The Great Unlearn, Rachel Cargle
Justice in June, Bryanna Wallace and Autumn Gupta (this is a great self-paced curriculum)
Anti-Racism for Beginners + White People, Melyssa Griffin
“Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide”, Tatiana Mac
Black & Asian Solidarity in NYC: What We’ve Learned, BUFU is By Us For Us
“Let’s Eviscerate the Model Minority Myth”, Liberated Together
“Welcome To The Anti-Racism Movement — Here’s What You’ve Missed”, The Establishment
Examining Whiteness: An Anti-Racism Curriculum, Harvard Graduate School of Education
“Implicit bias means we're all probably at least a little bit racist”, Vox
[thread] Racism is a global structure. Anti-racism is a global movement., @byobottlesg
[thread] A curated list of shit black people are sick of, @drew__dorsey
Areas to diversify in daily life (taking inventory of your inclusivity), @ohhappydani
On racism and “conscious hate,” @ava
Black Americans advocated for Indochinese refugees in the U.S., @teabuoy
“How To Be Actively Anti-Racist,” @goodgoodgoodco
Instagram: @southasians4blacklives, @theconsciouskid, @colorofchange, @ijeomaoluo, @rachel.cargle, @nowhitesaviors
[thread] Black voices to follow on Twitter—journalists, activists, writers, academics, @KarenAttiah
[thread] Tangible ways to create an anti-racist education, @ObiomaUgoala
Beware of erasure; indigenous and Black people are consistently erased from history—from textbooks, from scientific discovery, from landmarks—used to laud colonizers as “pioneers” and cover up bloodshed, implying that atrocities like slavery were somehow useful or important
Developer @Ecmoy made a bot that you can text, and it will recommend you a book written by a Black author based on genre and link you to a Black-owned bookstore that carries it; just text (409) 404-0403
Anti-racism reading list, @jane_mount
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America by Jim Wallis
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Good Talk A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
How Does It Feel to Be A Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race by Jesmyn Ward
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out by Ruth King
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
Have Black Lives Ever Mattered? by Mumia Abu-Jamal
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
by Isabel Wilkerson
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations about Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Abram X. Kendi
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell
3. contact your representatives and advocate for legislation
Find your local representatives (state senators, assembly members) and demand the repeal of 50a and the passage of the Safer NY Act
[thread] Meaningful proposed legislation addressing police violence, @samswey
4. start conversations and keep momentum going
Be aware that immigrants may not have the same privilege to speak out against injustice, but sometimes the most effective form of activism is changing attitudes in your own home.
I wrote this (incomplete) syllabus for a D&I initiative at my agency last year; it’s focused on diversity in the workplace, but the principles can be applied to real life as well
Make sure you’re engaging with people in a productive way, and know when to call it—I’ve found that educating people (especially non-Black minorities) by approaching it not from us vs. them but us vs. the system is helpful; it’s not about comparing pain, but dismantling the system as a whole
My coworker gave some great advice: When you feel like you’ve given your whole heart and said all you need to say and it’s no longer serving the purpose, step back; say “this is no longer a difference of opinion, but a difference of empathy” and allow them the opportunity to reflect
“How to Talk to Relatives Who Care More About Looting Than Black Lives”, VICE
[thread] What to say when people deny the reality of what’s happening right now, @un0riginalnerd
[thread] How to refocus the conversation on what’s important, @wearemitu
On calling people out, @alyssakeiko
[thread] Resources to help frame the conversation when talking to your parents, @rachelmercer
“How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change”, Barack Obama
[thread] What to do if a family member says something racist, @latinxtherapy
[thread] On burnout and long-term systemic change, @TatianaTMac
5. remember the lives of the countless other victims
[thread] #SayTheirNames, @REALITIGRLFRND
6. raise awareness
Talk about this with your friends and family; use your platforms no matter their size to advocate for equality and the abolition of police violence. Use the hashtags, share resources on social.
Remember: Silence is complicity
An ongoing thread of daily hashtags from @rosiegguks
Don’t spread violent or traumatic imagery
[thread] A guide to virtually protesting, @sa.liine
Consider your use of social media in giving space to Black voices; don’t use this as a way to signal your own activism but rather to support the messages of the Black community
What you can do beyond posting, @venusx
[thread] Questions to ask yourself when posting about race on social media, @carolinepritchardwrites
REMEMBER: The most important part is to keep going; even when it’s not trending anymore, even when the protests have subsided, even when it feels exhausting. All 50 states are protesting; we are witnessing the largest civil rights movement in history. Keep your foot on the gas. #BLACKLIVESMATTER