Why The Black Lives Matter Movement Is So Important And Why And How You Should Educate Yourself.
Eric Garner had just broken up a fight.
Ezell Ford was walking in his neighborhood.
Trayvon Martin was walking home with ice tea and skittles.
Keith Scott was sat in his car reading.
Michelle Cusseaux was changing the lock on her door
Tanisha Anderson was having a bad mental health episode, and her brother called 911.
Tamir Rice was playing in a park.
Walter Scott was going to an auto-parts shop.
Bettie Jones answered the door to let police officers in to help her upstairs neighbor, who them over a domestic dispute.
Philando Castile was driving home from dinner with his girlfriend.
Botham Jean was eating ice cream in his living room in Dallas.
Atatiana Jefferson was babysitting her nephew at home in Fort Worth, Texas.
Adama Traore was celebrating his birthday.
Eric Reason was pulling into a parking spot at a local chicken and fish shop.
Dominique Clayton was sleeping in her bed.
Ahmaud Arbery was jogging.
Stephon Clark was holding a mobile phone.
Belly Mujinga was working as a ticket controller.
Breonna Taylor was also asleep in her bed.
Marcus Omofuma, was an asylum seeker.
Terrell Decosta Jones-Burton was riding his bike.
Unborn Fetus was growing.
George Floyd was at the grocery store.
Learn their names
Remember their names
Fight for them
This list is a list of people who were murdered by police and what they were doing at the time of their murder. This list doesn't begin to show the extent of the broken system we all live in, no matter where you live, whether it's the UK, America, or somewhere else, it's broken. If you're part of the group that thinks it's only happening in America, that list includes black people and poc murdered in America, the Uk, Paris, and Austria. It's a global pandemic and it's time for it to end. From the moment of conception to the end of their lives, black people and poc live in fear that they could be killed for just living their lives. It's time to educate ourselves and educate others because without it things won't change.
I'm extremely privileged that my skin is white, I won't ever understand what it's like to live in fear because of my skin colour. I'm lucky that I have white privilege and for all the advantages my skin colour has. White privilege doesn't mean a person with white skin will never face hardships but it does mean that we inherit advantages based on our race in a society that has been characterised by racial inequality and injustice. It's time people start using their white privilege to help change the system.
Being non-racists isn't enough anymore, we need to be anti-racism. We need to educate ourselves then educate others, open up conversations with your friends, your family, the people you work with, start a conversation with anyone that will listen. Set the tone and change the narrative, when you hear someone make a racist remark, make it known that it isn't acceptable. How are things going to change if we don't speak up, we need to start the conversation with these people and allow them to be educated. If we stay silent how are we going to help educate those who don't want to be educated? Who don't want to change? We need to step up and support black people, make their fight our fight and fight for them, we need to be an ally.
At this point silence is racism.
The world has been shaped on black culture, the music we listen to, the clothes we wear, the tv we watch. It angers me that a world that has been influenced so much from a culture can also hate the people behind that culture. It's time black people and poc are celebrated for the amazing people they are and the import, life-changing impact they have on the world. It's 2020 people, we should have celebrated these people a long time ago, we should have loved them a long time ago, we should have let them live without fear a long time ago.
I have spent the past couple of days researching and sifting through the resources online to find useful ways we can help make a difference and ways we can educate ourselves. We shouldn't be relying on black people and poc to educate us or to give us the things we need to educate ourselves, they've done it for long enough, it's time we do it ourselves and rebuild the system.
Below are some helpful resources we can use to help change happen and to educate yourself.
Petitions to sign
Disbarment of prosecutor George E. Barnhill
Mandatory Life Sentence For Police Brutality
Movement For Black Lives Matter
National Action Against Police Brutality
Ways to Donate
The videos below will all be donating the AdSense from the videos to different charities to help the black lives matter movement. Streaming these videos and watching the adverts throughout will help raise more money that will then be donated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrdPeEjn0fU&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0K-1IM3Hu0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeCbYPYMz9o&feature=youtu.be
Donate with money
Shows and movies to watch
13th
American Son
Dear White People
See You Yesterday
When They See Us
Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
Time: The Kalief Browder Story
When They See Us
Who Killed Malcolm X
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Hate U Give
Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
Clemency
I Am Not Your Negro
The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution
Books To Read
Black Feminist Thought- Patricia Hill Collins
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower- Dr Brittney Cooper
White Fragility- Robin DiAngelo
Me And White Supremacy- Layla F.Saad
So You Want To Tak About Race- Ijeoma Oluo
Invisible No More- Andrea J. Ritchie
Race And The Underserving Poor- Robbie Shilliam
Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race- Reni Eddo-Lodge
So You Want To Talk About Race- Ijeoma Oluo
Books For Children
Let's Talk About Race- Julius Lester
We March- Shane W. Evans
We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights In Pictures - Amnesty International
I Have The Right To Be A Child- Alain Serres and Aurélia Fronty
Racism And Intolerance- Louise Spilsbury And Hanane Kai
The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas
Black British History- Robin Walker, Vanika Marshall. Paula Perry and Anthony Vaughan
More Ways To Educate Yourself
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
How White Women's Tears Threaten Black Existence
This Is What Black Burnout Feels Like
Letter From A Birmingham Prison
We're Sick Of Racism, Literally
Black Lives Matter Ally Research
When Feminism Is White Supremacy in Heels
I'm always open to listening to peoples opinions that are different to mine if you find yourself falling into the group of people that do my email and Instagram messages are always open. I'd love to chat with you and find out why you feel the way you do. They are always open to anyone who wants to talk about anything. I'd appreciate any helpful links, books, shows, podcasts that would help me to educate myself more, so if you have any please send them.
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