#BlackLivesMatter resources and information
June 4, 2020
In recent weeks, #BlackLivesMatter has been trending on social media and traditional media in response to the heinous murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020. George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck until he could no longer breathe.
About the movement
“#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.”
In an Australian context
Racial discrimination and the appalling affects of white supremacy are no different in Australia. We live, work and play on Noongar Boodjar, on Aboriginal land. For more than 240 years, our First Nations people have been fighting for equality. The history of our First Nations People and White Settlers is intertwined. We must take steps to acknowledge and remember the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities; the trauma so many generations have faced and continue to face. We must accept our bloody history that caused the grief, suffering and loss of The Stolen Generation. We must acknowledge the past and present policies contributing to white supremacy and the devastating effects of colonisation.
But now, more than ever, action needs to be taken.
Since 1991, there has been over 400 deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody, with no convictions. Despite a national Reconciliation Week, historical acceptance; race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity and unity has not been achieved.
We can do more to fight against racism in this country. To help educate on matters of racism, anti-racism, white supremacy, and to support First Nations and Black/Blak people, we’ve gathered some resources that we encourage you to share with your friends and family.
Reading
White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
How To Be An Anti-Racist – Ibram X Kendi
Me and White Supremacy – Layla F Saad
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
So You Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia
Growing Up African in Australia
Podcasts
Always Our Stories Podcast
1619
Code Switch
Uncivil
Pod Save The People
It’s Not A Race
Donate
The Aboriginal Legal Service
Justice for Yuendumu (Go Fund Me)
Tanya Day Family Fundraiser (Go Fund Me)
The Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
Collectives
IndigenousX
BlakBusiness
Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance
Artists and Creatives
Rachael Sarra
NFPs and Orgs
Reconciliation Week
Have any suggested resources? Send them to info@centreforstories.com!
Photo credit: Rahul Gairola
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