The collective support that has been shown all over the world to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and to stop the awful injustices that we are witnessing has been powerful and moving. We are changing the course of history towards a fairer society where love rules all and together this shall be achieved.
We must not take our foot off the gas and it is only the beginning for real and sustained change. We have complied a comprehensive pool of learning resources for you to keep this momentum going into the future, and all of this can be done from your home! It contains a list of charities you can donate to, petitions you can sign and resources you can use to educate yourself so we do not continue to make the mistakes that have made this movement necessary! At Its Our Culture we owe a huge amount to black culture and our goal is to do anything we can to wipe out racism forever. Together we stand.
Charities
The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
This change is so vital that we are all trying to do as much as we can in our own way. Following a live yoga class on @Itsourculture Friday, lead by @PheobeHartYoga, in which the donations went to the Loveland Foundation in the US, we decided we wanted to do more as a platform. The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust is close to our hearts and we have arranged to donate the profits from the first batch of our new hoodies to them.
This charity was named after Stephen Lawrence, a black teenager who was murdered at the age of 18 in a racist attack in southeast London.
This is an educational charity, which was created “to tackle inequality in all forms” and is committed to “transforming the life chances of young people and improving the world in which they live ”.
Stop Hate UK
Created in 1995 following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, Stop Hate UK is a charity that supports people affected by all forms of hate crime across the UK.
The charity says, “Stop Hate UK works alongside local strategic partnerships to tackle hate crime and discrimination, encourage reporting and support the individuals and communities it affects”.
Stand Against Racism and Inequality (SARI)
SARI gives support for victims of hate crime, including attacks that were racist, homophobic, transphobic and/or sexist.
The charity employs trained caseworkers to help the victims with their mental trauma, to assist and advice with any legal proceedings and refer them to other people who can help.
Kick It Out
Kick It Out is a UK based charity that promotes equality and inclusivity through physical exercise, specifically football.
It states, “Kick It Out is at the heart of the fight against discrimination for everyone who plays, watches or works in football”.
Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER)
The CRER is a charity that is committed to tackling racial discrimination across Scotland.
The CRER states its key mission is to “protect, enhance and promote the rights of black/minority ethnic communities across all areas of life in Scotland” and to “strengthen the social, economic and political capital of black/minority ethnic communities, especially those at greatest risk of disadvantage”.
The Discrimination Law Association (DLA)
The DLA is a organisation that works to improve equality law by bringing together a range of individuals, including discrimination law practitioners, policy experts and academics.
It does this by working behind the scenes to submit responses to government consultations and being actively involved in conferences and seminars.
Race Equality First
Race Equality First was founded over 40 years ago and has worked to fight discrimination and hate crime in Scotland.
“We are experts in the field of race equality and advice the United Nations and the UK government,” the charity states.
Black Lives Matter UK (UKBLM)
UKBLM is coalition of Black liberation organisers across the UK.
The organisation works to “dismantle capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and the wider power structures that disproportionately affect Black people in Britain, former colonies, and around the world”.
The organisation has set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe, with a target of £500,000.
Across seas charities:
American Civil Liberties Union
Podcasts
About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
Books, Articles & Resources
How To Be An Antiracist – Dr Ibram X. Kendi
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Dr Maya Angelou
Are Prisons Obsolete? – Angela Y Davies
Black Feminst Thought – Patricia Hill Collins
Freedom Is A Constant Struggle – Angela Y. Davis
Revolutionary Suicide – Huey P. Newton
The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X
Die For The People – Huey P. Newton
The Wretched of The Earth – Riley Quinn
Woman, Race, Class – Angela Y Davies
Yale University Course on African American History
University of Exeter Course on British Imperialism
America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us – Adam Serwer | Atlantic
Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement
My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant – Jose Antonio Vargas | NTY Mag
The 1619 Project (all articles, also available as podcast)
The Combahee River Collective Statement
“The Intersectionality Wars” Jane Coaston | Vox
“Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” By Courtney Martin
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack – Peggy McIntosh
Who gets to be afraid in America? – Dr Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic
Documentaries, TV Series & Films
Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap (Netflix)
Time: The Kalief Browder Story (Netflix)
When They See Us (Netflix)
13th (Netflix)
Who Killed Malcolm X (Netflix)
American Son (Netflix)
12 Years A Slave (Netflix)
Strong Island (Netflix)
Dear White People (Netflix)
Brain Banks (Netflix)
American History X (Amazon)
Green Book (Amazon)
Queen and Slim (Amazon, YouTube)
Selma (Amazon,YouTube)
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise (Amazon)
Under The Skin (YouTube)
Organisations to follow on Social Media
Antiracism Centre (Twitter)
Audre Lorde Project (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Black Woman’s Blueprint (Twitter, Instagram Facebook)
Color Of Change (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Colorlines (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
The Conscious Kid (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Equal Justice Initiative EJI (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Families Belong Together (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Justice League NYC (Twitter, Instagram)
Gathering For Justice (Twitter, Instagram)
The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
MPower Change (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Muslim Girl (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
NAACP (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
National Domestic Workers Alliance (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
RAICES (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Showing Up for Racial Justice SURJ (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
SisterSong (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
United We Dream (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Other ways I can help
Friends of our who are also incredible creatives have got together to produce a pack that you can use to further educate yourselves and actions you can take now. In this pack you will find a list of emails of the American police, unions and senators that you can demand justice to. Theres even a template email to use so you have no excuses! It includes phone numbers you can text to demand justice for specific crimes, and believe me, every email, every text, every conversation this movement starts is important- enough is enough!
Pack Link: https://bit.ly/2BriXrS
We hope this blog can help you in some way, not just today but as something you can keep referring back to, there is a lot of information to take on board which can be overwhelming but please, never stop, we must do more.
Find resources on how to support black owned businesses here.
Written by
The IOC Team
