5 Things Friday
A celebration…and an ego check. Here are your antiracism action steps for April 23.
Photography by Jarrett Robertson.
There was a five minute window on Tuesday around 2 p.m. when I got really excited to write this email to you. I was gonna flash us all back to Thursday June, 4, the day many of us connected for the first time. When thousands of us made signs, got in our cars, and took over San Francisco streets for 4 hours to demand justice George Floyd. I was gonna say "We did it."
Then a second alert came through—Columbus Police just shot and killed 16-year old Ma'Khia Bryant. Yeah, that news was a gut punch, and sucked a lot of the relief and celebration out of the moment. But it was also a much-needed ego check for me personally: Like so many of you, I joined this fight in earnest less than 365 days ago. 4 years after the murder of Alton Sterling. 5 years after the murder of Walter Scott and Mario Woods. 6 years after the murder of Eric Garner and Michael Brown and Tamir Rice. Nearly 12 years after the murder of Oscar Grant.
Yeah, we did it. But there is so, so, SO much more to be done.
According to the New York Times, Since testimony began in the Chauvin trial on March 29, "at least 64 people have died at the hands of law enforcement nationwide, with Black and Latino people representing more than half of the dead." The average was more than three killings a day. That article was published on April 17, three days before Ma'Khia was shot and killed.
The mass movement that started this summer has made a difference. The guilty verdict on Tuesday is proof of that. But it will only continue to make a difference if it stays a mass movement. If we continue to support and amplify and march and donate and sign and call. For the next 365 days. For the next 4 years, 5 years, 6 years, 12 years. You get the picture.
Here are your 5 Things.
MAKE THIS CALL. If you want to jump right into action and enact real change in the wake of the police killing of Ma'Khia Bryant, take a few minutes to use the hotline at 216-290-0737 to ask Cleveland’s city councilmembers to reduce police violence and fund an alternative first responders program. You can check out the script (and more details on the program) here if you need, but the hotline will also provide you with instructions. Art by @leeyamakesnoise
JOIN THIS. For many of us, defunding the police is a new idea. Most white people in our lives have beliefs about policing that are shaped by our racist culture, not reality or history. How do we help more people in our lives understand what defund means and move them to a place of supporting this powerful demand? How can those of us who are new to this demand deepen our understanding of what frontline organizers are calling for? Join SURJ next Tuesday, April 27 at 5 PT / 8 ET for a webinar for white people who want to learn more about the movement to defund police.
SHOP THESE. REP CO's series on equitable cannabis continues: For those buying bud on a regular basis, keep in mind that not all cannabis companies are created equally—or with equity in mind. There are a host of new cannabis companies making sure the communities most harmed by the war on drugs will actually have an opportunity to benefit from legalization. REP CO profiled six of them, all recommended by Cannabis Doing Good, to get you shopping—and smoking—sustainably.
SHARE THIS. Yesterday was Earth Day, and the Movement 4 Black Lives launched the Red, Black & Green New Deal Initiative—a multi-year Black climate campaign to set a national Black Climate Agenda for a sustainable future in defense of Black lives. It's an initiative that puts Black liberation at the center of the climate fight, and it needs your support! Check out their official site (rbgnd.org) for more details then use the digital toolkit and graphics to spread the word.
TUNE IN TO THIS. Earth Day has been celebrated for 51 years, but because of the deep rooted power dynamics in supply chains, missing still from the dominant dialog are the voices of those on the frontlines who are combating climate change and creating real solutions within their communities. On Tuesday, April 27, join Reclaim Collaborative for "Reclaim The Climate Narrative," a virtual conversation amplifying the voices of those setting a new standard for how things can be done differently, with consideration.