Black Lives Matter 2020

[Mary Ramirez]

We are in difficult times right now. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of police, the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the racial attacks against Christian Cooper and Omar Jimenez are simultaneously a tipping point and a continuation of the state violence that the Black community has endured for centuries.

This may be a difficult conversation for many to have. Some don't know how to have it or what to do in order to support those affected. Below are a list of resources to help you during these times.

The following organizations doing transformative justice work and supporting communities affected by police violence:

• Minnesota Freedom Fund 
• Black Visions Collective
• Reclaim the Block
• Louisville Community Bail Fund
• Northstar Health Collective
• National Black Justice Center

 Educate yourself with the following resources:

• Antiracist Reading Lists 
• Book and Film Lists on Racial Equity
• Center for Racial Justice in Education - Reading Lists
• How to Be An Anti-Racist
• The Anti-Racist Reading List
• This is a great resource for the white-identifying allies, but useful for everyone:  5 Ways White People Can Take Action in Response to White and State-Sanctioned Violence

Leverage your influence and be an ally by:

• Starting a conversation 
• Sharing your empathy 
• Taking action
• Check in on others
• Identify and empathize with co workers who may be mentally drained
• Start an Employee Resource Group or #allies slack channel at work

Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments. We ask that you're respectful and mindful of your words and how they may affect others. 

Reference and credit goes to the Techqueria for sharing this.

[Dave_Liao]

Thank you for posting this @Mary Ramirez ! 🙏

I'm starting to see BLM appear more on LinkedIn - of my social networks, LinkedIn is/was mostly immune to the politics around us - which is a good thing. We are intertwined with society's circumstances, and greater awareness needs to happen.

[Erica Moss]

@Mary Ramirez Thank you for sharing these important resources, Mary! I've been doing a lot of listening and donating this weekend. A few things that stuck with me:

• This tweet from Sherrell Dorsey, on doing the hard work: "Keep it up. Don't be a tourist. Stay for awhile."
• This thread on being mindful of how you're checking in on your Black friends.
• I started a recurring donation for The Loveland Foundation, which provides resources and support, including a therapy fund, for Black women and girls.

[Celina Zamora]

Thank you for this @Mary Ramirez

[Mary Ramirez]

I listened to A Decade Of Watching Black People Die this morning and it was very insightful. 

[Cassie Mayes]

Thank you for sharing these important resources @Mary Ramirez I appreciate you.

[Kat Warner]

I was disgusted by a post I saw on LinkedIn by an NZ politician. They used a photo from a BLM event held locally as a prop to criticise the level of restrictions in place relating to COVID.

The argument was along the lines of:

1) we should remove the restrictions on large gatherings and contact tracing ASAP

2) if there is a justified reason for gatherings to be limited to 100 people - why weren't the Police breaking up the peaceful protest of a much larger group in a public area?

So very tone deaf and sad.

[Darline Auguste]

Thank you for your words and sharing these resources @Mary Ramirez