5 Things Friday
5 Things Friday was born a year ago. to celebrate, we got you a little something: Here are your 5 antiracism action steps for June 4.
The last few weeks have marked the one-year anniversary for many tragedies and injustices. But today we want to take a second to celebrate 365 days of something a little brighter. On June 4, 2020, thousands of us took to the streets of San Francisco for the Caravan for Justice to demand justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the countless other victims of police violence, and to call for an end to white silence and inaction around racism and white supremacy.
The first 5 Things email came a few weeks later, and was sent out to all who RSVP'd to the protest. We've sent one every week since. In September, we launched Represent Collaborative, made up of volunteer journalists committed to keeping the fight for racial justice in the news. In the 9 months since launching REP CO we have:
+Produced over 100 original stories and thousands of images.
+Had more than 150K visitors to representcollaborative.com.
+Had our stories featured in publications including The San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, Lonny, Brit + Co, Design Milk, Our House, Cleveland Scene, MOTHER, and more.
+Provided PR and marketing support for more than a dozen Black business owners and organizers.
+Facilitated nearly $30k of in-kind donations to Black-led fundraisers and events.
And when I say WE, I mean each of you who get this email and have clicked and donated and volunteered and kept doing the work, 365 days later.
So Happy Birthday to you! I got you a little something: Here are your 5 Things.
KNOW THIS. If you need proof that all that protesting made an impact, here is it: As a response to our fight for racial justice, Republicans in 34 states have introduced—and in several cases already passed—81 new punitive anti-protest bills to strike down the very people power that got us this far. Florida, Oklahoma, and Iowa have already passed laws to protect drivers who injure protesters with their cars. A proposal in Indiana would ban anyone convicted of unlawful assembly from holding state employment, including elected office. And in Minnesota, anyone convicted of unlawful protesting would not be allowed to receive student loans, unemployment benefits or housing assistance. Color of Change is actively organizing against these bills and you can support that work here.
DONATE TO THIS. Activist Burnout is real, and the nonstop fight for justice and equity often wears down those leading the charge. Genevieve Leighton-Armah founded the Bay Area Black Leaders to make sure those on the front lines of the fight for racial justice are getting the rest and revitalization they need to keep moving forward. Read this profile of Leighton-Armah and the community of activists she supports, and then donate now (Venmo @Genevieve-Leighton-Armah) to help fund the very first Bay Area Black Leaders retreat.
ATTEND THIS. This month, in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the 2020 Uprisings, the 50th Anniversary of the War on Drugs and Juneteenth, the Movement for Black Lives is sponsoring a month of activities focusing on reparations for slavery and its afterlives—convict leasing, police violence, mass incarceration, the war on drugs, segregation, redlining, and environmental racism to name a few—in the US. Each week of June M4BL will focus on a different front in the battle for reparations and will host a weekly virtual teach-in on the topic. Check out the details and RSVP here.
READ THIS. Get the details on California's reparations effort through an interview with state lawmaker, Shirley Weber, who is now California’s secretary of state, and spearheaded the effort to begin the process. San Francisco is also moving forward with it's own reparations task force.
GO TO THIS. Thursday marked one year since Sean Israel Monterrosa was shot and killed by police in Vallejo, California. His sisters, Ashley and Michelle Monterrosa, are asking you to help mark this anniversary with power and with love. They are hosting a block party and rally in San Francisco this weekend. Get more info and RSVP here. If you can’t make it, please consider supporting Sean's family with a financial contribution here.