So You’ve Posted a Black Square…Now What?
I read a quote today and it resonated so strongly: “anti-racism is not an identity or a checklist; it’s an ongoing decision to uproot the ways white supremacy resides within you, your relationships and the systems you navigate each day”. As a non-black person, I have felt a lot of things during this time that has followed the death of George Floyd – outrage, betrayal and helplessness. Yet I know that my feelings do not matter in this fight, and that this is not about me. What I do know is that I should be using every space and means I have to voice clearly and publicly: BLACK LIVES MATTER.
I have seen the community lately band together and show support for an issue so incredibly important. Yet I know that long after the hashtags stop trending, this is a battle that will continue to be fought. For those who have just come into the narrative, remember that police brutality happens every single day. It happens in America, and it happens right here in Australia too. Since 1991, there have been 432 Aboriginal deaths in Custody, as reported by The Guardian Australia. PoC face discrimination on many fronts, all over the world, and have been fighting these battles for a very long time.
So you’ve posted a black square and shown your support but feel lost about what to do next. There are, in fact, lots of little things you can do to help this movement – you can channel the energy and anger you are currently feeling and direct it into action.
Enough is enough. It’s time to act.
Educate Yourself
I realise it is a complete privilege to educate myself about racism instead of experiencing it, and still, as with many issues, one of the best ways forward is to educate yourself and others. There are so many recommended books, podcasts and movies going round on socials lately. Consume it, analyse it, and talk about what you’ve learned with your family and friends. As non-black people, it is our job not only to educate ourselves on anti-racism, but also to call out the racism within ourselves and those around us. If you’re looking for a place to start, here are 5 documentaries worth watching: Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap, Time: The Kalief Browder Story, When They See Us, 13th, Who Killed Malcolm X.
Get engaged
Now is a great time to get engaged. There are multiple Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the States and Australia this week that are well-worth attending. It’s also a perfect time to identify and join anti-racist grassroots organisations that are in your community. A simple google search should help you find good places to start, as can social media contacts. This is a massive movement and needs all the support it can get; it needs the actions and involvement of the greater collective, not just individual actions hoping for change. Joining organisations is a great way to channel your anger into action – you can use the group’s strategy to help work towards longer term projects and results.
Donate
There are a whole bunch of organisations in need of funding during this time. Of course, do your research and remember it’s ultimately up to each person to check that you are well-educated and onboard with where your funds are going. You can donate to bail funds to pay the bail for protestors who have been arrested. You could also donate to the GoFundMe page for George Floyd’s family, or to Black Visions Collective, a black, trans and queer-led organisation committed to ‘dismantling systems of oppression and violence and shifting the public narrative to create change’. Or perhaps you want to look a little closer to home, and donate to Change the Record, ANTar, or The National Justice Project.
Sign Petitions
Another effective and more accessible way to use your voice is through signing petitions. Here are 3 petitions well worth signing:
Justice for George Floyd: this is the largest petition in change.org’s history, with almost 17 million signatures at the time of writing.
#WeCantBreathe: the last words uttered by George Floyd have spurred on the fight for justice. This is another petition that has been organised in the wake of his death.
Prevent Another Aboriginal Death in Custody: this is an Australian petition to free John, an elderly indigenous man, from immigration detention. This would change the precedent that the law sets.
Vote
Voting in Australian elections is a great way to use the power you hold as an individual. Do your research into what parties are taking this matter seriously, and help voice opinion against the parties that are not. This is applicable no matter which country you live in – and if you do live in a country where voting is not mandatory, I encourage you to get out there and use your vote, and make your voice count for something that matters.
Please remember that we are all doing the best we can. It’s important to acknowledge that everyone may choose to act differently – for some people it is posting on their social media, for some it is protesting in the streets and for others it is having the difficult conversations. It’s a learning process, and we will probably all continue to make mistakes and do things imperfectly. We must continue to vote, we must continue to advocate and protest, and we must continue to learn.
“I’m not black, but I see you
I’m not black, but I hear you
I’m not black, but I mourn with you
I’m not black, but I will fight for you.”