UPDATED:  Following the  horrific murder of George Floyd, just the latest in a too-long list of people of color killed at the hands of police, many of us are sitting at home, staying safe and feeling like we should be doing more. Here are some things can do to support the protests and support people of color, whether you hit the streets or are staying home to stay safe. Most of the list resources below are updated regularly.  This page is also updated regularly (not all updates will be emailed if you are signed up for post emails, so check back regularly.)

• Donate to bail funds for protestors who were arrested, this list is by state and includes a few national organizations.
• JOIN CAMPAIGN ZERO is a comprehensive site with information on racial justice reforms describing what’s wrong and what needs to be done. The site provides links about policies you can advocate for, and actions you can take and much more.
  • CampaignZero+Policing is a pdf with information and links that you can download and share.

SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES

•  SBO -Support Black Owned is a comprehensive website that has a data base you can search, a way to add black owned businesses and it even has an app!
• Black Owned Businesses You Can Support Now: This article is a resource for finding black owned businesses.
• Cape Codders: Facebook Group Cape Cod MA Black Owned Business Cooperative

LEARN, EDUCATE YOURSELF, EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN, INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.

• Education resources for white people: This is such a treasure chest! A document that gives you everything from resources for parents, to suggested reading, videos and more. Introduction: “This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now. Feel free to circulate this document on social media and with your friends, family, and colleagues.”
• Barack Obama’s article: How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change
• Police Unions: It’s Time to Change the Law and End the Abuse   As a progressive organization we support most unions, police unions, however, are one of the primary road-blocks to changing police policies and practices. This article describes the issue and how the power of police unions is and has been abused.  This is important because police unions have influential political power. They will most likely come out against any local candidate who promises police reform.
• Contact your members of Congress and state and local legislators! Ask them what they are doing to change policies and procedures that have resulted in a pandemic of police abuse. If you don’t like the answer – vote for that legislator’s opponent. Elections are just a few months away.
• Breonna Taylor’s death brings police killing of black women into focus This article focuses on the abuse of women of color at the hands of police.
• You have a right to record the police (new) and right now, a responsibility.  If you see something that doesn’t look right, record it. Cell phones cameras are changing the ability of police to get away with abuse. If you interfere with an arrest, you may face charges, but recent cases have established a right to record. Also, remember police cannot confiscate your phone without a warrant. Read the details in the linked article.
• Here are 11 things white people can do to be real anti-racist allies (new)
• The U.S. finally has better maternal mortality data. Black mothers still fare the worst. (new) Important article from January about this issue that doesn’t get the attention it should
• The Economic Effects of Abortion Access: A Review of the Evidence (new) Research by the Women’s Policy Institute- Abortion access impacts women of color
• Litigating Whiteness: Trials of Racial Determination in the Nineteenth-century South This 1998 report is about a little-known, little-discussed practice in the south – known as racial determination trials where people had to prove they did not have any African blood in order to be free from slavery.
• Talk to a police officer.  Talk to police officers in your community, ask them what they think of all of this. If they don’t “get it” recognize that, remember that and support local legislative candidates who will make changes. If they seem to understand, if they know systemic racism is real and they want changes, THANK THEM.

ARE YOU READY TO VOTE? ARE YOU REGISTERED? HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS LATELY?

“When we think about politics, a lot of us focus only on the presidency and the federal government. And yes, we should be fighting to make sure that we have a president, a Congress, a U.S. Justice Department, and a federal judiciary that actually recognize the ongoing, corrosive role that racism plays in our society and want to do something about it. But the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.” -Barack Obama

• When We All Vote: Register to vote, and if you are registered this site also has a link to check your registration, considering all of the attempts to suppress the vote, make sure your registration is up to date! Once you are all set, make sure your friends and family are registered and their registration is up to date!
• Check with your Secretary of State– here is a list by state, and your town clerk to see if your town/county/state has a way to vote by mail or early vote.
• PAY ATTENTION TO LOCAL ELECTIONS! The people who make the changes we need to reform police practices are going to face tough fights against their local police unions.  Support the progressive candidates who will work to make changes, as they battle the institutions that have been in place for too long.
• Don’t forget the District Attorney’s or County Prosecutors who are elected! Unfortunately we’ve learned how close these elected officials are with police (often supported by police unions) which makes it difficult to prosecute police.

SHARE! USE SOCIAL MEDIA!

• Share the resources on this page, share what you’ve done, share videos of protests shared by others, share videos of police violence and abuse. Be cognizant of the violence in videos of police brutality, it’s important to share these too, it’s how this current uprising began, but add a warning – many PoC have had to deal with the trauma of abuse and many have said on social media and television that watching these videos can be triggers, but they know we have to share them.
• CHECK YOUR SOURCES (new).  Before you share information on social media, know where it came from. Often memes don’t cite sources, we had one posted on our Facebook page recently and were reminded by followers that there was no source, and further that some of the info wasn’t true – we removed it.  (We are usually careful and rarely have to remove a post!) So to use memes as an example, if it looks important, take a minute to do a Google search on the information, find the source and add it to your post. (Snopes.com is a great resource for fact-checking!)
• FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK! If you haven’t yet, please do – you will become part of a community of thousands just like you.

FINALLY – STAY SAFE, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC

• If you protest, read this article for advice about what to do before, during, and after.
• Our post Protesting racial injustice during a pandemic: Should I?
• If you want to continue to stay home and not protest, don’t feel guilty, just do one or all of what we’ve listed here. You can still use your voice!

 

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(If you see errors or omissions please contact CapeCodWomenforChange@gmail.com)

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