WWQD is saddened and angry at the loss of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor and Belly Mujinga and countless others. Our feelings are not meaningful unless translated into action towards protecting black lives on a structural and individual level.
This post is for non-black people of color, and white people – our allyship is necessary and lacking right now. That goes beyond our social media channels, where we might share an aesthetically pleasing ‘Black Lives Matter’ post. Please read for ways we can support and pay reparations.
In particular, I speak to fellow non-black Arabs and South Asians. We owe a debt to black culture and profit daily from colorism. We can at least begin making minimum payments towards this debt.
A starter pack from Munroe Bergdorf below, on how to help from the UK. Read before reading our post.
Give money generously
Money makes a difference. The below organizations focus on liberating and supporting black people – donate generously. If you were going to get takeout or buy a coffee, donate instead:
- Black Lives Matter – working to end the violence towards black people with the goal of eradicating white supremacy. Click the giant blue “Donate” button. Apple Pay accepted.
- Black Trans Fund – Part of Groundswell, focused on supporting LGBTQ+ black people who have been the backbone of trans liberation movements in the UK & US.
- George Floyd’s GoFundMe – To cover funeral costs, court proceeding costs & living costs for his children.
- Minnesota Freedom Fund – To pay bail and bond costs to save black lives from being murdered by US police.
- Follow Shishi Rose and pay for education via link in bio.
Join peaceful protests*
*This content has been updated 8:30 PM on 31/05/20
In high of the below commentary from UK BLM we would like to stress that: (1) no one should be using public transport to get there (2) you shouldn’t be attending if you’re in contact with someone at risk or shielding, e.g. in your household, or someone you intend to meet with up to 14 days post-protest (3) you should wear a face covering and follow social distancing guidelines at the protest. We are still mid-pandemic, countering a virus that is disproportionately affecting BAME people.
Key London dates for peaceful protests and demonstrations of solidarity. If you’re worried about attending alone, email me and we can attend together or arrange for you to meet someone (socially distanced). Please do not attend if you do not have valid Right to Remain in the UK, or are shielding due to coronavirus.
- Kneel for Floyd – Sunday May 31st @ 1PM Trafalgar Square
- Peaceful Protest – Wednesday 3rd June @ 1PM Hyde Park
- Peaceful Protest – Saturday 6th June @ 1PM Parliament Square
- Peaceful Protest – Sunday 7th June @ 2PM US Embassy
Please wear protective face coverings, bring food & water. These events are expected to be peaceful but you should know your rights, particularly if you are not a UK citizen. Watch the highlight ‘Rights’ on @ldnblm’s profile.
Why is everyone so angry?
A note for those concerned about being kind, wanting to write to MPs instead of protesting, or wondering why protests in the US may have turned violent.
Firstly, question the narrative that protests are coded as violent.
Stop worrying about critiquing the response, criticize the catalyst for such a response (in this case hundreds of years of slavery, decades of police brutality and social disenfranchisement).
“Riots are the language of the unheard”
Martin Luther King
Secondly, realize compliance is never rewarded. Watch CNN reporter Omar Jiminez being arrested live, on air, as he politely and repeatedly asks the police to tell him where to go, and assures them he will comply. Compliance is not rewarded. We accept the excuses of trained police officers ‘making bad decisions’ (read: murder, violence, unlawful arrests) but we expect citizens to remain calm and articulate when faced with a gun.
If your first instinct is to side with the police, read these short slides by @sighswoon.
If you are concerned about anger as a response to racism and cannot understand why black people cannot continue to swallow their pain.
“Any discussion [among women] about racism must include the recognition and the use of anger… We cannot allow our fear of anger to deflect us nor seduce us into settling for anything less than the hard work of excavating honesty. We must be quite serious about [the choice of] this topic and the angers entwined within it, because our opponents are quite serious about the hatred of us and what we are trying to do here.”
– Audre Lorde (black lesbian feminist), The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master’s House
“Anger is an appropriate reaction to racist attitudes, as is fury, when the actions arising from these attitudes do not change. To those women who fear the anger of women of color more than their own unscrutinized racist attitudes, I ask: Is the anger of women of color more threatening than the woman hatred that endangers all of our lives?”
– Audre Lorde, The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master’s House
The basic ask here is that you weigh up whether it is riskier to allow murder to go unchecked, or whether it is more important to stop those shouting about it being wrong.
Further resources
For help educating yourself, the below post is a good starter pack.
The below post is a fantastic pack. Rachel provides a vast bundle of (free) anti-racism resources (tap link in her bio to access and make a payment).
Required reading, texts by black women who have helped build safer worlds for all women of color:
- ‘Feminism is for everybody’ by bell hooks
- ‘The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master’s House’ by Audre Lorde
- ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race’ by Reni Eddo-Lodge
This post will be updated regularly with further recommendations, posts and texts.
Also, defund the police.
– Aimen
What Would Queenie Do? 