The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota Police on the 25 May 2020 has exploded into nationwide protests, clashes and unrest across the USA, with the eyes of the world watching via the news and social media. Such an indisputable display of violent, systemic racism has energised people all over the world to act.
There are many petitions, letter writing campaigns, and more circulating online, but most require (understandably) American citizenship or at the very least a US postcode to participate.
If you’re feeling angry, upset or horrified and want to help, here is how to support the Black Lives Matter protests from Australia:.
1. Donate
Organisations have set up ‘Bail Funds’ you can donate to, which pay the bail to release people arrested during the protests. A huge part of the systemic racism built into the law enforcement system is setting bail which many people cannot afford – another example of the privilege that allows some people pay their way out of the criminal system, while others are denied the same opportunity due only to their socioeconomic status.
It is also worth donating to organisations that provide services to Black people in America fighting their way through a corrupt and stacked judicial system. Some options include:
- The Bail Project
- Black Visions Collective
- Northstar Health Collective
- Reclaim the Block
- ACLU
- Communities United Against Police Brutality
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
There is also a GoFundMe for George Floyd’s family.
Remember that the world turned up to donate to our bushfire relief efforts. Doing the same for the US now is one way to support Black Lives Matter from Australia.
However, keep in mind the lessons learned from Celeste Barber’s bushfire relief fund: it is your own responsibility to make sure you are well-informed and happy with the intended purpose of your donation, before you donate. Read the fine print, folks!
2. Advocate for Indigenous Australians
Before you get too horrified at the events in the USA, remember that this happens in Australia too.
More than 400 Indigenous people have died while in police custody, since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. There have been no convictions, despite clear similarities to the situation in the US where:
- Indigenous Australians have been arrested for minor, non-violent offences, and have died while under police custody
- Indigenous Australians are over-represented in both men’s and women’s prison populations, and juvenile detention, despite being a smaller % of the general population
Ask yourself: Are you as upset about the systemic racism in Australian law enforcement and judicial systems too? Are you active in trying to dismantle this in our own backyard? Showing support for Black Lives Matter in Australia must include action on home soil.
Suggestion: Apply everything in this article to the struggle faced by Indigenous Australians, too. Start by reading the state of play here: The 147 dead: terrible toll of Indigenous deaths in custody spurs calls for reform
3. Show Tangible Support for BIPOC
If you’re wary of donating to international grassroots organisations, that’s understandable. You can still put your money where your mouth is by supporting Black, Indigenous and People of Colour’s business, work, art, causes and initiatives.
Buy from them and direct if you can. Putting money in BIPOC pockets is:
A) A small way to offset the emotional and economic toll that systemic racism creates and protects, and,
B) Helps elevates BIPOC voices up through the skewed meritocracy until they have the money, power and decision-making influence to really break down the system
4. Educate Yourself (& Others!)
There are lots of recommendation lists of books, articles, podcast episodes, videos, etc about how to support Black Lives Matter circulating online. If you haven’t seen them, here are a few good lists:
- In the show notes for this episode of After Work Drinks
- Rachel Cargle’s comprehensive body of work, and online education resource The Great Unlearn
- 13 books listed on The Cut
Here is what you should do with those reccs:
- Consume them
- Analyse your place in the system
- Talk about what you’ve learned with others; especially if you are White and especially with other White people. One-to-one conversation is an underrated way to create radical change.
- Use what you have learned to guide you day-to-day behaviour and choices. Not just for now, while the whole world is talking about George Floyd, but forever onward.
5. Share (with Care)
Time for a controversial truth: This suggestion comes last in the list, because sharing supportive posts on social media is fine, but is also one of the least active and genuinely impactful things to do.
Take this is a reminder that RTs and Regrams only do so much.
When you are sharing on social media, keep these three things in mind:
- Don’t share images of the protests that include identifiable features of protestors (i.e.: their faces, tattoos, unique clothing, etc). It’s the equivalent of doxxing; here’s an article that explains it in the context of the Hong Kong democracy protests.
- If you are sharing something created by BIPOC, consider whether you have also tangibly (in most cases, this means financially) supported them too? Or have you only taken what they have provided for free?
- Think about one action you can take to follow up or double down on your social media support. Then, do the thing.
Social media has been invaluable in bring global attention to the oppression faced by Black people and other minorities, but doing “the work” of anti-racism is not confined to social media. It has to happen in the real world too.
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