Just because everyone’s social media feeds are back to selfies and self-promotion of their own music career does not mean that we should stop talking about Black Lives Matter. Since the death of George Floyd that happened on May 25, 2020, there have been continued instances of police murdering with impunity and ongoing protests. It can be easy to want to distance yourself from these issues when the media often pays more attention to riots rather than peaceful protesters. This is a huge problem. There have been more peaceful protests rather than violent demonstrations but some media outlets prefer negative reporting because it appeals to their audience and garners more clicks or views.
I think one thing that personally annoys me is thinking a #blackouttuesday post on Instagram is enough. That is definitely not the case. As an ally, I think it’s important for non-black people to actually help out and not just pretend to care or participate in performative activism. Silence is part of the problem. If you really care about the Black Lives Matter movement then you would do more than just share a black screen online. There are things you can do that are so simple like starting conversations and making donations to bail funds and nonprofits. If you aren’t able to donate, that’s okay. There are other options. Keep reading to learn about some ways you can do your part for BLM.
- Educate yourself with movies, TV series and books
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The easiest thing you can do is educate yourself. You can read books, watch TV shows as well as movies. At first I did not know what the movement was about so I did research and found all this information on why this movement started. Don’t know where to start? No worries. Outlets like NPR and CNET have done the hard work of compiling lists of books, movies, and series for you to simply dive-in and start learning.
- Sign petitions
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There’s strength in numbers. Petitions are one way you can show support. The most popular petition website is Change.org, it has many social issues listed and as long as you sign up, you only need one click to sign the petitions. Other websites that help are thepetitionsite.com and colorofchange.org.
- Attend protests
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The first protest I went to was in late September of 2020. At first I was nervous because I am an introvert and have anxiety and it leads me to fear speaking in front of people I don’t know. With a lot of other people beside me, it turned out to be okay and I was able to shout like the rest of them.