At Kinds of Grace we stand in solidarity with the black lives matter movement. With the family and community of George Floyd. With every black person who has lost their life and been harmed by white people, including those who have been impacted while protesting injustice recently.
As an Australian based business we want to raise specific awareness to the fact that racism is not an issue isolated to the US. Indigenous Australian people live with their oppressors every day, we all stand on stolen land here today.
What can we do? Here are five ways to support the black lives matter movement.
1. Sign Petitions
- Sign to support the 'Hand's Up Act', which will punish police for shooting unarmed citizen.
- Sign to support a more accurate criminal charge for the police officer who murdered George Floyd.
- Sign to demand police reform and other anti-racist measures in the police and justice systems.
- Sign to support law change to protect indigenous Australians from unnecessary imprisonment.
- Sign to demand Australian Government address the horrifically high rates of indigenous death in custody.
2. Protest
There are protests all over the world at the moment. Coming to these protests are an important way you can help the movement. As white and non-black people particularly, we are able to protect black people by standing between them and police who show violence to them and not us so often.
You can read an article by black woman Stacey Patton about white people and their involvement in protest, how to centre black voices and be a true ally, not a performative one.
3. Educate Yourself
It's very important to understand systemic racism if we are to dismantle it, address it in others, and ourselves.
Books and resources to read:
75 Things White People Can do For Racial Injustice
Ways to help (via Black Lives Matter)
Why I’m No longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
White Supremacy and Me by Layla F. Saad
White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
Decolonizing Solidarity by Clare Land
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss
Media to watch:
Explained, Racial Wealth Gap on Netflix and Youtube
Christopher Sebastian McJetters: Exploring Connections between Black Liberation & Animal Liberation
Utopia, an epic story of struggle and resistance
When They See Us, on Netflix
13th, on Netflix
People to follow:
@rachel.cargle
@laylafsaad
@blackandembonied
@mireillecharper
@the_christopher_sebastian
@ajabarber
@jenerous
4. Call Out Racism Every Day
Start in our communities. Yes, there are places to donate, petitions to sign, posts to share. These things are important. But if we do not also address the casual racism, the unequal access, the micro-aggressions black people face every day, there is a serious problem. These more covert and ‘socially acceptable’ acts of racism are traumatising, and make space for overt racism, violence, genocide.
5. Donate
Systemic racism has led to wealth disparity. Donating to black causes is important. Here are some organisations and funds to donate to:
American Civil Liberties Union
The Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
ANTaR, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people