Some of us have felt paralyzed with the pandemic and those well intentioned 'To do lists' never came to fruition. Don't be too hard on yourselves for whatever you accomplished / didn't as that's in the past and of very little importance in the whole scheme of things with the state of our country's affairs. Now with quarantines removed in many of our communities, folks have rushed back to their old lives perhaps prematurely, only time will tell... Many have chosen to not don masks which medical research says will endanger your/ other's lives. Personally I have always been one to err on the side of caution...
Our household will continue our quarantine measures. It is heart wrenching to not be able to join our city's protest marches. Since we can't be part of public protests in person, what can we as individuals do to help at this time of national crisis that doesn't involve violence?
This list arrived in my e-mail and since we are not receiving non violent leadership from the White House, all of us can find something on this list we can do...
- Call your local officials and tell them to defund your local police department and invest those funds in resources people need, especially for Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color. This is in support of the asks of local and national Black-led organizations, which are demanding that local governments commit to cutting funding for the police and investing it in Black community-led education, health, and safety programs (such as funding for schools, treatment for opioid abuse, and conflict intervention programs that don’t rely on the police). You can use this tool from Common Cause to get the contact info for your local officials.
- Support Black-led organizations and impacted communities. You can use this page to split a donation and there are even more organizations to consider here.
- Pursue anti-racist education. Our resource here lists a few helpful readings to check out and share.
- Ask your representative to co-sponsor the Omar-Pressley resolution. Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) have introduced a resolution in the House condemning police violence. Call your representative and demand that they co-sponsor the resolution and speak out publicly about the need for the House to pass it without delay.
- Protest safely. If you are able to protest and are planning to join any this week, please do so safely. The Anti Police-Terror Project has identified best practices for safety if you choose to attend in-person protests or events. Know the risks and do what you can to minimize the risk for you and those around you.
Another couple of resource links:
Above all else, put on your to do list to: Be safe.
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