At the bare minimum we should be signing petitions and sharing content on our platforms. If possible donating is an amazing option. (I will also be leaving links to some donation sites as well.) As white people it is our job to educate ourselves - we don't need to be spoon fed information and it isn't up to black people to make sure we're not ignorant. So I'm going to share a list of books, Netflix options and podcasts as well.
Lastly I wanted to share the profiles of some amazing black influencers. I already followed a few but definitely not enough and I want to make a conscious effort to have a more diverse social media feed.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I wanted to use my platform to do something helpful.
Petitions
So this is the main link for all of the big petitions: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions
It includes information on zip codes to use if you're based out of the US.
However here are some smaller, less promoted ones (credit @solaceil):
https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-crystal-mason-we-call-for-the-immediate-pardon-of-crystal-mason
There are way more than these but this is a great place to start - it literally takes seconds to sign each one. I didn't want to post hundreds because then people might just gloss over them - but these 14 plus the ones from the main list will take under ten minutes to sign.
Also quick note: I've seen the petition about raising the officers involved in George Floyd's murder to a 1st Degree Conviction. I have seen on twitter that this will NOT help and he is likely to be found not guilty. Therefore please don't sign any petitions or retweet anything and kindly let people know if they're unaware.
Donations
If you DO NOT have the money to donate here is a link to a YouTube playlist in which all the money made goes to BLM Organisations.
However if you do here are some options:
Again: here is the main link with the most options https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#donate so you can have a look for yourselves but I'm going to find some others and link them below!
Note on donations - apparently donating to Change.org isn't the best way as they keep a portion of the funds raised. Instead donate to the organisation directly if possible :)
Books, Netflix, Podcasts etc
As I said earlier, we as grown adults are capable of educating ourselves and do not need to be spoon fed information. I wanted to compile a list of some books, Netflix etc that can be used to help do that. As white people I think it's easy to just glide by in life and not realise the extent of the injustices but that needs to stop. We need to be angry and step up and use our voices alongside our black friends.
Books: (Thank you to @bethsbookclub_ for this list + a few extras I've found)
- Queenie: Candice Carty-Williams
- Girl, Woman, Other: Bernadine Evaristo
- Americanah: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- An American Marriage: Tayari Jones
- Such a Fun Age: Kiley Reid
- The Bluest Eye: Tayari Jones
- The Colour Purple: Alice Walker
- Rainbow Milk: Paul Mendez
- Small Great Things: Jodi Picoult
- Noughts and Crosses: Malorie Blackman (This is a fantastic book written in a world where blacks are seen as the superior race and whites are inferior. I first read this when I was 13 and it was an uncomfortable read. It forces you, as a white person to think about what it would be like if things were the other way around and that's so prevalent, even more so today.)
- Sister Outsider: Audre Lorde
- So You Want to Talk About Race: Ijeoma Oluo
- White Fragility: Why is It So Hard for White People to Talk About Race? - Robin DiAngelo PhD
Beth also has a really great post on her website with links to books for kids, YA and adults so I will link that here as well because it's worth a read and I didn't want to steal her thunder!
Netflix:
- 13th
- American Son
- Dear White People
- See You Yesterday
- When They See Us
Podcasts (based on a list from @dy_diabeatic on Instagram):
- 1619 - by The New York Times
- About Race
- Code Switch by NPR
- The Diversity Gap
- Intersectionality Matters! - Kimberlé Crenshaw
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
- Pod For The Cause - from the leadership conference on civil and human rights
- Pod Save the People - Crooked Media
Influencers / Instagrammers
I wanted to share a few of my favourite black influencers and instagrammers. Some of these I've been following for a while but some I've only found recently. It's super important that we begin to diversify the content that we're seeing and speak up for POC in regards to influencer campaigns.
I saw @zoelondondj on twitter saying how whenever she works with a brand she asks who else is on the campaign to ensure it's not white, skinny, able bodied people only. And I think this is super important. How many brand trips to the Bahamas have I seen with the same 8 blonde, skinny girls? Too many to count. And this isn't a dig at the girls because they've worked hard to get where they are too - it's a dig at the brands for not looking beyond what they see as a cookie cutter white girl influencer. This industry has to change and I really hope that BLM is the trigger for a more real and representative form of influencer advertising.
With that being said here are my pick:
@Patricia Bright - obviously she had to feature. Ultimate girl boss who taught me everything I know about freelance money, taxes and knowing your worth.
@Underbeautyssurface - Stunning lifestyle blogger with the most gorgeous glowy skin.
@withloveyossy - one of the most beautiful Instagram accounts I've ever seen.
@Sarahdiallo - I discovered her whilst researching for this post and her feed is amazing! Ultimate sassy, fashion blogger vibes.
@erinondemand - entrepreneur and ultimate brand strategist boss.
@loranelisecollective - another business babe! Also how nice are her graphics?!
@unicornniqui - fashion, body positive entrepreneur.
Ok so that's my list! I've tried to not include toooooo much because I don't want it to be overwhelming, I want it to be achievable that we can sign all the petitions listed, donate if possible to some of the links and watch / read the content.
As a blogger and an Instagrammer myself I want to make more of a conscious effort to not just follow other white people and to actually diversify my feed. I want brands to know that it's not ok to not work with black women and the release 'charity' BLM t shirts (cough InTheStyle). We have the power to come together and make a difference!
But yeah - thank you for reading and I hope this was a good start. I believe Victoria / Inthefrow is in the middle of writing a post all about black owned businesses so as soon as that's up I will amend this post with a link to that as well!
If you're a black business owner or Influencer comment your links below because I would love to start a conversation going.
Lily x
