Black Lives Matter: Educational Resources and How to Support
A lot needs to be done right now–here's where to start.
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, David McAtee and countless other victims at the hands of the United States police have illuminated the effects of institutionalized racism around the world. Efforts of protestors to combat these issues by exercising their right to public assembly have been met with harsh, and often violent opposition. This is not a sudden, modern issue; it is the result of a history of militancy against Black people that needs to be directly addressed and changed.
At Electronic Beats, we stand with the Black community, and we’re committed to educating ourselves and others about the injustices facing Black people today. Below, we’ve created a living document of resources, including organizations our readers can support and donate to alongside articles, books, and guides that have impacted us. We urge everyone to read, listen, educate themselves, attend official public protests, and contribute in any way they can to support the Black community in this time.
To start, look into these two guides to anti racism resources, here and here. And for those who want to show support on social media, we this guide can be a useful resource before posting.
Causes to support / donate to
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
Movement for Black Lives is an organization pushing to stop the spread of COVID-19 in at-risk areas. Their initiative is to call on congress to prioritize the safety of communities over corporations and to “push back against the use of militarization in our communities as a response to this crisis.”
Campaign Zero is pushing for legislative change to policing policies on the state level. Some of their goals are to end for-profit policing, limit the use of force, and the individual prosecution of officers who have committed crimes.
Sign petitions
Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor via Change.org, MoveOn and the Petition Site.
Defund the police force in the US
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Bail funds
Prohibitive bail charges are an essential component of institutional racism & the extreme inequality in the US penal system. If you are financially secure, please consider donating to show solidarity, at a time when people are detained for peacefully demonstrating against police racism & brutality, in the memory of George Floyd, and for all unarmed people killed by the police. You can split a donation between 60+ bail funds across the US and read about the separate missions of each
Many cities across the US are spending more on policing than on departments such as the Departments of Health, Homeless Services, Housing Preservation and Development, and Youth and Community Development combined. This petition by Black Lives Matter calls for a national defunding of the police, demanding for investments to be made in the community and “the resources to ensure Black people not only survive, but thrive”.
Read Black Authors
How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change, Barack Obama
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coats
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Reni Eddo-Lodge
The American Nightmare, Ibram X. Kendi (The Atlantic)
Criminal Justice Fact Sheet, NAACP for further
Consider the Black cultural origins of dance music
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Rediscover Techno’s Black American Roots With This Fascinating Video Documentary
‘Give It Up For DJ Blackface!’, Code Switch Podcast (NPR)
‘Make techno black again’: a social experiment subverts whitewashing in clubs
How Underground Resistance Became the Public Enemy of Techno
A Brief History of Voguing, Smithsonian
Paris Is Burning, 1990
Buy Black artists’ music on Bandcamp
A group of anonymous data volunteers have created a list of 500+ Black producers, artists and labels to support on Bandcamp Day. The list can be found here. All suggestions and edits are welcome via an e-mail to collectivedatavol@gmail.com
International Resources
A collection of 135 resources for Education, Professional & Community Development, Health, and Civil Rights that promote racial equity in a variety of important ways.
European anti-racist resources
European Network Against Racism is a pan-European anti-racism network that advocacates for racial equality and facilitates cooperation among civil society anti-racism actors in Europe.
UK
Write to your local MP to put pressure on the government to stop providing tear gas to the US using this letter template.
Write to your representatives easily and for free by using Write to Them
German Resources
Anti-black racism is also prevalent in Germany, especially aimed towards the refugee community. If you are looking for places to support Black Lives Matter’s mission in Germany, consider donating to support Women in Exile in doing vital work to support refugee women in Germany. Kampagne für Opfer rassistischer Polizeigewalt (KOP)
Published June 04, 2020.