How you can support the Black Lives Matter movement
By now it is no secret that the Black Lives matter movement is quite rightly at the front of the news agenda. The death of George Floyd has ignited a passion and a strength in
By now it is no secret that the Black Lives matter movement is quite rightly at the front of the news agenda. The death of George Floyd has ignited a passion and a strength in communities across the world in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
As tensions rise in America, we all have questions that need to be answered: What is the Black Lives Matter Movement? and What can I do to support them?
The Black Lives Matter movement
When supporting a movement, it is important to understand its origins and what it truly stands for. Founded in 2013, it was initially a hashtag on social media before becoming an activist movement, after the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.
Their mission is simple. According to the Black Lives Matter website their agenda is to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centring Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.”
If you wish to find out more on the movement go to www.blacklivesmatter.com where they have on their social media, information on how to donate and their contact information.
#blackouttuesday
Yesterday, Instagram became a sea of black posts as people pledged refusal to post on their accounts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Blackout Tuesday aimed to utilise the tool of social media and educate the public themselves on the Black Lives Matter Movement. The organisers of the special events said they wanted it to be a “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community” through “an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change”. This comes just a few days after George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin, a police officer, who pressed down his knee onto the victim’s neck until he died, whilst other officers watched.
Hundreds of well-known celebrities from Holly Willoughby to the cast of the popular TV show ‘Friends’ have posted black screens in solidarity with the movement and the black colleagues. This not only shows that when we stand together, we can and will #endracism but it also creates awareness for a movement that should be seen more in the media. So, by posting a little black square and the hashtag #blackouttuesday it will allow you to create awareness and stand up against something that has gone on for too long.
Donate and Sign
After the event that have occurred in the US over the last three weeks many fundraising drives have been set up to support George Floyd’s family, bail out protesters who have been arrested and further support the Black Lives Matter movement. Certain US organisations like the Minnesota Freedom fund and the American Civil Liberties Union have already raised huge amounts of money. Outside of the US in the UK, you can donate to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust or Stand Up To Racism, campaigning for racial inequality, or the Green & Black Cross, which provides legal support to protesters and activists.
You can show you’re support by simply sign/entering your name on the #JusticeforFloyd and Justice for George Floyd petition who are demanding that all the police officers present at Floyd’s death will be arrested and charged for murder.
