By Adhya Gummadi
For thousands of years, the black community has been treated with racial injustice as well as unlawful police brutality. However, with the wrongful deaths of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, as well as through social media, many have soon come to realize the purpose of the movement and joined to spread awareness.
With this increase in awareness, it is a necessity to help propel this fight to provide black people the opportunity to live without facing the horrors they have to confront on a daily basis. We have to come together and show solidarity to assist the black community in overcoming this barrier. Individuals can become aware of how to be a great advocate by listening, learning, and becoming a part of the movement towards justice and equality for all.
Although numerous individuals are interested in associating with the Black Lives Matter Movement, some may be confused about how to be a good ally and how to effectively show support by being involved in such movements.
Educate Yourself
One of the main causes of racial injustice is the lack of knowledge regarding what the black community has had to face for such a long period of time. As a result, it is extremely significant to reflect on the history behind injustice.
Understanding the history of policing is also an essential step to take in order to recognize the events that led up to the protests for reforming the system. Learning this will highlight the fact that racial injustice and police brutality have lasted so much longer than most people anticipate, and it is time to come together and help prevent this.
Through increasing your knowledge on this topic, you will be able to relate more to the black community. Most importantly, with the knowledge, you will find more passion when being an ally for this movement, due to the better understanding of the lost lasting difficulties faced by the community.
There are various ways you can educate yourself. One of the best ways is through books because of the personal accounts they have. Below are a few of the many books reflecting on injustice.
Admit To Yourself That You Have Biases
In order to be able to advocate for the black community, you need to first be able to admit to yourself the racial biases you may have. This is understandable and quite common due to family background and environment.
However, by first accepting that you have this view, you will be able to overcome this bias and become even more involved with the genuine emotion to help fight racial injustice.
In addition, understand that if you are not part of the black community, you have racial privilege, and using this privilege is vital for solidarity and overall strength among those part of the fight, to be the best possible advocate you can be.
Spread Awareness
Giving recognition to the history of racial injustice to others is quite a vital way to bring more people into the fight. Whether it is expressing your feelings through social media platforms or with family, it will definitely impact some of their mindsets when learning more and becoming more aware of the injustices experienced by the black community for so long.
Overall, when having conversations with others, stay calm regardless of differing perspectives. When talking with family members that disagree with the way you think, try your best to convince them, and through enough education, perhaps they will become supportive of this movement.
Sign Petitions & Make Donations, if Possible
Petitions are currently the best and most impactful way to use your voice to advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement. This is because they take such little time to sign and they make big differences. Not only this, but petitions are a great example of solidarity which show how important it is for everyone to come together to become involved and participate in this mission.
Donations can also make a great difference as the proceeds may have many purposes, such as succorring small black-owned businesses or planning fundraisers for future protests. However, if you are unable to donate, there are still other ways to assist with raising money. For instance, there are certain playlists available on Youtube for free streaming and these playlists contain ads that generate money for specific organizations. This is a convenient way for you to be able to involve yourself with the cause just by simply watching videos.
Below is a card with dozens of petitions which support the Black Lives Matter Movement as well as a multitude of ways to donate, including the YouTube playlist:
Sources:
Angelica Brown. “How to be an ally for the BLM movement” Fox 25 News, 8 June 2020, https://okcfox.com/news/local/how-to-be-an-ally-for-the-blm-movement
Swaay “Ally Resources Black Lives Matter” SWAAY Editorial, June 4, 2020, https://www.swaay.com/ally-resources-black-lives-matter
Great Big Story. “How You Can Be an Ally to the Black Lives Matter Movement”. May 28, 2020. https://www.greatbigstory.com/guides/how-to-become-a-better-black-lives-matter-ally
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