5 Things Friday
Get schooled on Reparations, advocate for Black Disabled Lives, treat yourself to some delectable desserts, and more.
Neurodiversity / Disability Solidarity button sets coming soon from Jen White Johnson.
We're back! While, in the very true words of Dr. Akilah Cadet "You don't get a break from allyship just because it's the holiday season," you can take a break from hurling content onto the internet, and that's just what we did last week. Instead, we read 2 actual, entire books (highly recommend: Half Of A Yellow Sun and Between The World And Me), went camping, and got into some spicy but productive discussions with family members about things, including the legacy of John Lewis and the ethics of how one should handle legal charges related to protesting (MINOR charges. Don't stress, mom!). You know, holiday stuff. Anyway, we're back. And here are your 5 Things.
KNOW THIS Yesterday the SF Board of Supervisors unanimously passed legislation on the first reading to establish an African American Reparations Advisory Committee—an important step towards equity to improve outcomes for Black people here in San Francisco, and right the wrongs of history. School yourself on Reparations so you can engage in the movement to make them a reality. Download the Movement for Black Lives Reparations Now toolkit and explore the long history of struggles for reparations for Black people, and what you can do to further this fight. Then take the first step by texting REPARATIONS to 90975 and join a network of Black-led, Black-facing organizations doing the work.
DONATE HERE Giving Tuesday was this week, and the list of worthy organizations to donate to could fill an entire book, but at REP CO we took our cue (and this list) from our trusted friends at Reclaim Collaborative—the brains and hearts behind the Reclaim Black Friday initiative, in which they asked brands to skip the door-busting sales in favor of redistributing a percentage of total sales to Indigenous and Black organizations. Here are 5 Indigenous and Black Land-Back organizations to get to know and to support now and always.
READ THIS Yesterday was International Day of Persons with Disabilities—an ideal time to uplift and reaffirm that Black disabled lives matter, celebrate the incredible work being done by Black Disabled folks and learn more about disability justice. Read this interview with Vilissa Thompson about how we can check our ableism everyday and then text VISIBILITY TO 90975 to receive The Movement For Black Lives calls to action around disability justice legislation.
DO THIS Understanding your privilege and identifying as an ally are a start, but it's not enough. Sign up for Dr. Akilah Cadet's Do the Work: Becoming an Accomplice—a 90-minute virtual workshop going down this Tuesday, December 8. It will cover the next steps in anti-racist work, and take you past allyship onto becoming an accomplice. And as are ANY events hosted by Dr. Cadet, we promise it will be incredibly engaging, inspiring, and even funny (the girl's got jokes!). You'll examine the differences between the two concepts of ally and accomplice, learn to recognize performative allyship, and share insight about what it means and how to start the necessary work of becoming an accomplice.
EAT THIS Before you click "purchase" this holiday season, make sure you've taken the time to see if there is a small, Black-owned business you could be giving your dollars to instead. For sweet treat needs in the Bay Area, we suggest Paper Rock Fork. Read all about the talented pastry chef behind this up-and-coming baking biz right here.