How2: Do Your Part and Speak Up.

Imagine being discriminated against since you were a child. Imagine being a tiny percent of the country’s population yet you are 4 times more likely to be incarcerated compared to your peers. Imagine being 8 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police compared to your peers. Imagine going on a jog around your area and being shot dead because of the colour of your skin. Imagine social institutions that are meant to protect you openly admitting that the colour of your skin impacts them so much that is strong enough to alter their behaviour, yet they are still allowed to patrol the streets and keep society “safe”.

 Oh you can’t? But this is real life for your black peers.

This reality should frustrate every single person on the planet, even if you are not the one being discriminated against. It is not the job of the people being oppressed in society to speak out. EVERYBODY needs to understand the privilege they have and use it to take down these narratives. Stop acting shocked when you see another name or video trending, do something. Speaking out about this illogical world is better than sitting back and doing absolutely nothing. You can’t expect change to happen when your voice is the only one listened to and you’re not even using it to help.

• How many times are people in the world going to have to protest for SOME sort of change?

• How many more times do lives have to be taken away for something to be done?

• How many more videos of people dying do we need to watch before people open their eyes that this is what the world is?

I am sick and tired of people not realising their privilege. Every person on this planet has gone through something horrible yet being white isn’t seen as a disadvantage or something that detriments your life. Imagine your life being set against you because of the colour of your skin. Racism exists everywhere – be it systematic, institutional or personal.

Therefore, everybody MUST do something to eradicate this problem. Yes, there are a range of horrible events going on in the world where different minority groups are being targeted, but MURDERING and treating somebody differently because they are black is absurd. Nobody should ever feel that society views them as “less than”, that is disgusting.

Ignorance is driving the world and it has been for generations, but it is also driving these common occurrences. Everybody needs to be doing something to overcome this ignorance. Use your privilege to amplify these voices, call out the atrocities you see on social media, open your eyes to the fact that this is happening, use your voice to elevate those that aren’t being heard and call racism out EVERY TIME you see it. Confront that anti-blackness you see all the time. Privilege is real. If you don’t use yours to help others, then you’re just as bad as the problem.

This is not my reality, but I cannot sit back and not do something when people are being abused, oppressed and killed.

Below are links to petitions, books, social pages and information to help you use your privilege to overcome this ignorance:

Petitions:

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0KC83vYfVQ-2freQveH43PWxuab2uWDEGolzrNoIks/mobilebasic - A LIST OF PETITIONS, RESOURCES, CONTACT DETAILS FOR LAW OFFICIALS & ZIP CODES BECAUSE SOME OF US DON’T LIVE IN AMERICA.

• https://go.theactionpac.com/sign/justice-for-george-floyd

• http://chng.it/jSL4YYBRTF

• https://www.runwithmaud.com/#petition

• https://blacklivesmatter.com/petitions/

• http://chng.it/jbmfStkqgG

Books:

• Me and White Supremacy – Layla F Saad

• When They Call You a Terrorist – Patrisse Khan-Cullors

• Natives – Akala

• Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Renni Eddo-Lodge

• So You Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo

• The Good Immigrant - Nikesh Shukla

• https://www.bustle.com/p/19-books-about-white-supremacy-how-to-combat-it-18546105

Donations:

• https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

• https://www.joincampaignzero.org/

• https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate

• https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2

• https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Social Pages:

• ·      https://www.56blackmen.com/ - changing the narrative of the stereotypes of black men. Reducing the negative perception and bringing about change to empower these men across the globe.

• ·      https://blacklivesmatter.com/ - a movement campaigning against the systematic racism towards black people, I’ll be very surprised if you are unaware of them.

• https://colorofchange.org/about/ - an organisation challenging governments and corporations regarding their treatment of black people in the world.

• https://www.colorlines.com/ - a daily news site focusing on news affecting POC. Ranging from criminalisation to immigration, health, the economy and arts & culture.

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REMEMBERING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE KINGS & QUEENS, AND THE PEOPLE WHOSE NAMES ARE NOT ON THIS LIST:

“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” - Angela Y. Davis