Share the basics of “Defund the Police” with your fearful friends!
- My statement on the Passing of Rep. John Lewis – Barack Obama (here)
- 9 essential reads for your racial justice conversations
- 14 Anti-Racism Educators & Activists To Follow And Support Online. Click here.
- Resource Guide: Prisons, Policing, and Punishment – Micah Herskind here.
BLACK LIVES MATTER – a great “Education & Resources” page, shared with us by Sophia Nakasone
This resource – #805STRONG – has an amazing amount of information, including this list of names of folks from the 805 community.
Donations/Boycotts
Support Organizations doing antiracist work.
- Split donations equally among these organizations here.
- Contribute even a small amount to the George Floyd Memorial Fund (GoFundMe), to support his children’s education, and his family as they seek justice.
- Support the Nationwide Bail Fund, which will split your donation among 39 bail reform organizations that work to end cash bail and pay bail for poor arrestees
- Recommended organizations include:
- The Marshall Project – donate
- Advancement Project – donate
- Campaign Zero – donate
- Anti Police-Terror Project – donate
- The Sadie Collective – donate
- Reclaim the Block – donate
- Communities United Against Police Brutality – donate
- The Sentencing Project – donate
- (6/4 – Update) New resource – How to be an activist when you can’t attend protests.
- (6/4 – Update) New resource – watch this video, including the ads. 100% of the ad revenue from the video will be dispersed between various BLM organizations, including bail-out funds for protesters.
- (6/5 – Update) From Young Invincibles.
- In memory of Tony Dade: the official GoFundMe to support the McDade family
- Justice for the family of David McAtee: the official GoFundMe to support the McAtee family
- Justice for Breonna Taylor
- Justice for Ahmaud Arber
Vote with your dollars everyday. Stop supporting the businesses sending money to Trump
- Businesses sending money to Trump are sometimes surprising. Read about it here.
Support Black-owned businesses in our county instead.
Google doc spreadsheet here.
New Resources!
New: Eight Online Exhibits to see right now on Black History, Racism and Protest.
COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Plan for Black America
“For too long, Black people have had to work twice as hard to barely get half as far in America. The rules of the economy, our democracy, and our society are rigged — and as a result, Black communities are falling farther behind.
COVID-19 has exposed the connection between rigged rules and their impacts on our families: Black people are infected at higher rates, and comprise the majority of deaths from the disease in many cities across America.We need a plan for Black communities that protects our families, provides access to the care we need, and that builds new infrastructure to address the crises facing us. It’s time to change the rules, and make new ones that protect and strengthen our communities. The Black Agenda 2020 is a roadmap for making Black people powerful in all aspects of our lives.To flatten the curve and level the playing field, Congress must adopt the following Black Agenda2020 priorities immediately.”
Justice in June
“Justice in June cultivates a community rooted in truth, inspires action and is committed to awareness.
This resource was compiled by Autumn Gupta with Bryanna Wallace’s oversight for the purpose of providing a starting place for individuals trying to become better allies.
Choose how much time you have each day to become more informed as step one to becoming an active ally to the black community. On this document are links to the learning resources and a schedule of what to do each day.”
Resources for Accountability and Actions for Black Lives.
Seeking justice means putting in the work. Say their names, share their stories, but first and foremost, take action. We must help the families of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the many other Black Americans unjustly murdered and abused by law enforcement and other protectors of white supremacy. Take action today. Link here. En español aquí
Black Lives Matter Library of audiobooks for kids!
This is a very cool resource for kids! Click on a book, and it’s read aloud to them!
Sunrise Movement’s Creative Tactics for Black Lives!
(Source: Sunrise Movement) “Have you seen this guide we put together about visual strategy, art, media and storytelling and how to plug in to the movement for Black lives, police abolition, and racial justice?
“The time for action is now, people are taking to the streets, flooding social media, calling local officials and demanding justice for those who have been killed by the police all over the county. And now is the time to join them.”- @mvmnt4blklives
Check out our guide to learn more at smvmt.org/creativeuprising ! “
“Bold Conversations” – #EndWhiteSilence
(6/11 – Update) We haven’t seen any notices for protests in Ventura County today…yet. So we’re taking this lull in real-life activity to address online activity – the rising number of comments people are seeing from white people who are frightened and angered by the protests, the protestors and their demands. Before you de-friend, mute, or respond in anger or exasperation, there may be another way…
Color of Change, in collaboration with SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), have created “Ten Tools for Bold Conversations” and resources to get helpful talking points when navigating these interactions. SURJ has put together this toolkit full of conversations you’re hearing right now, along with great resources, like this “Alternatives to Police Poster Series.”
Online African American History Class
OYC.YALE.EDU: African American History: From Emancipation to the Present/Open Yale course. This course examines the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans’ urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. . Download all course pages [zip – 10MB]
(6/11 – Update) Heather Cox Richardson – History of the Republican Party.
Other Actions
Share this video on your social media. It’s hilarious!
Watch and share widely “CENSOmientos de mi Corazón,” the tale of achieving an accurate count, all in the name of love. This fun and informative video (in Spanish with English subtitles) was a collaboration between Child Development Resources of Ventura County, Inc., and Teatro de las Americas. Our local talent is awesome!
Sharing some art for justice.
Download some art to be used for justice actions here.
Sharing some memes.
QAnon, a toxic Pro-Trump conspiracy theory, is currently hijacking the #SaveTheChildren fundraising campaign to promulgate their own baseless accusations against Democrats and other enemies of Trump, who they claim are involved in child sex- trafficking. Their targets include Hillary Clinton Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and Pope Francis, and improbably, companies like Wayfair. Their nonsense actually led an armed man to storm a pizza place, demanding that they free children from their non-existant basement (Pizzagate). Please, if you see people on your media feed getting all excited by #SaveTheChildren, those who are normally complaining about #BlackLivesMatter, immigrants, or having to wear masks, go ahead and share the links above and these lovely graphics.
“If you’re pulled over…”
- “Pulled Over is inspired by current events. The app hopes to serve as a tool for the right people at the right time. If you have been pulled over, you can easily launch the app, and with a single hold of a button you are able to launch your native camera app and start recording the situation. You can then notify your preset emergency contact of your situation and current location in case they feel like they need to help. The video can also be shared with the rest of the Pulled Over community to raise awareness of both good and bad experiences. Users can take the opportunity to Call for Action or find and share videos of exemplary police officers.
We believe that technology can be used to make a big difference. Let’s together make a better world for everyone. “
Have any questions or want to find ways of helping out?
Contact the Pulled Over developer at: aaditya.agrawal36@gmail.com
Poor People’s Campaign
Read the Poor People’s Campaign platform here.
More Racial Justice resources here. Extensive BLM resources, including donation sites, onlines classes, Black-owned businesses, reading/watching lists and more.
COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Plan for Black America
“For too long, Black people have had to work twice as hard to barely get half as far in America. The rules of the economy, our democracy, and our society are rigged — and as a result, Black communities are falling farther behind.
COVID-19 has exposed the connection between rigged rules and their impacts on our families: Black people are infected at higher rates, and comprise the majority of deaths from the disease in many cities across America.We need a plan for Black communities that protects our families, provides access to the care we need, and that builds new infrastructure to address the crises facing us. It’s time to change the rules, and make new ones that protect and strengthen our communities. The Black Agenda 2020 is a roadmap for making Black people powerful in all aspects of our lives.To flatten the curve and level the playing field, Congress must adopt the following Black Agenda2020 priorities immediately.”
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 