PROMOTE black businesses. AMPLIFY black voices. READ books on what it means to be anti-racist. WATCH documentaries to educate yourself. DONATE to organizations in support of BLM. SIGN petitions to get justice for black lives. CALL your local leaders. REGISTER to vote. DO THE WORK offline.
BLACK LIVES MATTER is a movement, not a moment. BLACK LIVES MATTER...and all lives can’t until black ones do.
So we’ve got some work to do my dear. It’s going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Don't test the waters, GO MAKE WAVES! All it takes is YOU! Take one small step forward in making a difference to change the world!
I've recently took the Pledge of Black Allegiance, which means that “by prioritizing Black merchants and businesses when shopping, we aim to redistribute wealth, reallocate power to the people, and secure our neighborhoods and our future by increasing economic stability within the Black community.” Join me in this movement in pledging your allegiance by committing your resources to shopping with black-owned businesses as often as possible to uplift and empower Black communities everywhere.
Also, to help you with that one.small.step. to CHANGE, I have taken the time to do some research and wanted to use my voice and this platform to provide you with resources to support the BLM movement.
By no means are these lists exhaustive. I encourage you to do some research of your own, if you haven’t already, to educate yourself, learn and take action to go make waves.
BLACK VOICES TO FOLLOW & AMPLIFY
| Name | IG Handle |
| Anna Groves | @annamaegroves |
| Arielle Storia | @ariellestoria |
| Be a Bridge Builder | @beabridgebuilder |
| Danielle Coke | @ohhappydani |
| Dr. Anita Phillips | @dranitaphillips |
| Emmanuel Acho | @emmanualacho |
| Fatima Dedrickson | @stylefitfatty |
| Glo | @glographics |
| Latasha Morrison | @latashamorrison |
| Luvvie Jones | @luvvie |
| Rachel Cargle | @rachel.cargle |
| Rachel Rodgers | @rachrodgersesq |
| Sarah Jakes Roberts | @sarahjakesroberts |
| Tash Haynes | @itstashhaynes |
Another account I have followed has been @sharethemicnow on Instagram a campaign created where Black women spoke out on the accounts of white women to help magnify Black women and the important work that they're doing to catalyze the change that will only come when we truly hear each other's voices.
BLACK BUSINESSES TO SUPPORT
These are just some black owned businesses I personally know or know of and wanted to share to support their businesses.
Other resources to find black owned businesses across the nation include: Black Owned Coffee Shops in LA, Black Owned Wineries, THE BLK Pages, Forbes | 75 BOB to Support, Refinery29 | Find & Support BOB With these Apps & Websites, Official Black Wall Street
BOOKS TO READ
Check out this list of books to read at your local black owned bookstore.
| Book Title | Author |
| Be the Bridge | Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation | Latasha Morrison |
| Biased | Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes the Way We See, Think and Do |
Jennifer Eberhardt
|
| Hood Feminism| Notes From Women That a Movement Forgot | Mikki Kendall |
| How to Be an AntiRacist | Ibram X. Kendi |
| Just Mercy | A Story of Justice & Redemption | Bryan Stevenson |
| Me and White Supremacy | Combat Racism, Change the World & Become a Good Ancestor | Layla Saad |
| So You Want to Talk About Race | Ijeoma Oluo |
| White Fragility | Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism | Robin Diangelo |
ORGANIZATIONS TO DONATE TO
A portion of the proceeds from the Brighter Days Collection will be donated to NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund.
|
Organization |
Mission |
| NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund | To protect voting rights, reform the criminal justice system, and improve equal access to education, among other civil rights causes. |
| NAACP Empowerment Programs | To ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination |
| Black Lives Matter | To challenge state-sanctioned violence against Black people and to vision and build a just and free societ |
| Be the Bridge | To equip bridge-builders to bring healing and transformation towards racial justice and reconciliation |
| The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund | To offer over 5,000 hours of FREE therapy sessions for black women and girls to go to therapy |
| Rebuild Lake Street | To help rebuild Lake Street’s small businesses and community organizations. |
| Black Visions Collective | To "center our work in healing and transformative justice principles, intentionally develop our organization's core 'DNA' to ensure sustainability, and develop Minnesota’s emerging black leadership to lead powerful campaigns." |
| Midtown Global Market Mend | To help repair the damage and to help rebuild small businesses throughout the Midtown Global Market |
| The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) | To fight and stand for economic, racial & social justice and build a strong people’s movement that can create transformative community change. |
PETITIONS TO SIGN
| Justice for: |
| George Floyd |
| Breonna Taylor |
| Ahmaud Arbery |
| AND MORE... |
Here are just a few other resources to help in your education about anti-racism.
Filipinx for #BlackLivesMatter: Fighting Anti-Blackness in our own Community
How to Help Fight for Racial Justice & Equality
Change will not come overnight, in a week or even in a few months, so STAY THE COURSE. Do what seems right for YOU to make a change, but be sure to give yourself some GRACE and make some time to REST in the process.
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9