Photo credit: @sacree_frangine
Following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, millions of people across the world want to take action against the racist systems that have allowed this to happen.
Style of the City shares how you can help support the Black Lives Matter Movement from the UK.
Sign the petitions
This is a meaningful action and every single signature is another voice saying that these racist crimes will not be ignored and can’t continue in today’s society. It takes less than a minute to sign.
What petitions can I sign to support Black Lives Matter in the UK?
Sign the Justice for George Floyd petition here.
Sign the petition for #WeCantBreathe here.
Sign the Justice for Belly Mujinga petition here.
Sign the Justice for Breonna Taylor petition here.
Sign the Justice for Tony McDade petition here.
Sign the petition to raise the degree for Derek Chauvin’s murder charge here.
Sign the petition for the UK government to condemn President Trump’s response to BLM protests here.
Donate
The Floyd family have created a GoFundMe page to help cover costs for his memorial and burial and to support them during this horrific time.
You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Since the protestors took to the streets, many have been arrested and due to this, donation pages for bail money have also been created to help those in need.
Minnesota Freedom Fund – The organisation pays the bail of those arrested during protests and provides support. Update: They are temporarily pausing donations because they’ve had so many, on their website they link to a number of other organisations.
There are also a number of incredible organisations in the UK, devoted to fighting racial inequality, racial injustice and holding the police to account. You can donate to the following:
Black Lives Matter UK – The UK branch of Black Lives Matter, they have a specific GoFundMe page here.
The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust – Set up in memory of 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered by a group of white men in 1993, the trust works with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to support them in their future careers.
StopWatch UK – A coalition which monitors the activity of the police, focussing primarily on stop and search laws which disproportionately target people of colour.
Institute of Race Relations – An independent charity conducting research on race relations and social justice in the UK.
Liberty – A human rights organisation focusing on defending freedom and campaigning for equality and fairness in the UK.
Show Racism The Red Card – Initially, an organisation to tackle racism in football, the organisation provides educational workshops and training to tackle racism in British society.
Operation Black Vote – The group tackles the lack of Black representation in British politics, as well as the democratic deficit of Black people in general, to ensure greater racial justice within the UK.
The Runnymede Trust – A UK based race and equality think tank which conducts thorough research in order to challenge racial inequality when it comes to law, policies and governance in the UK.
However, due to Coronavirus many face financial difficulty and may not have spare income to donate. Therefore, YouTuber Zoe Amira created a stream to donate video on her channel. By simply watching her video 100% of all ad revenue will be donated to a variety of organizations that are helping the Black Lives Matter movement.
You can watch the video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM&t=353s
Do your research
When tragedies like this occur, it is up to us to do our research on what steps we can take to help. There are plenty of recourses available to educate yourself on racism and white privilege, such as in books, films and listening to the black community on social media.
Below are resources that are available to educate everyone on the matter:
Important books to read by BAME authors
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo
- Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams
- Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- It’s Not About The Burqa, Mariam Khan
- Me and White Supremacy, Layla F.Saad
- I Am Not Your Baby Mother, by Candice Brathwaite
- Between The World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
TV series to educate yourself on black oppression:
- Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
- Time: The Kalief Browder Story
- When They See Us
- 13th
- Who Killed Malcolm X?
- Dark Girls
Films to educate yourself on racism:
- The Hate U Give
- The Help
- Selma
- Just Mercy
- Get Out
- Loving
- 12 Years a Slave
- Green Book
- Remember the Titans
- I Am Not Your Negro
- Hidden Figures
- BlackKkKlansman
9 Powerful Black Female Voices to follow on Instagram
- Layla F. Saad @LAYLAFSAAD
- Blaire Amadeus Imani @BLAIRIMANI
- Rachel Elizabeth Cargle @RACHEL.CARGLE
- Whembley Sewell @WHEMBLEYSEWELL
- Adwoa Aboah @ADWOAABOAH
- Tamikad Mallory @TAMIKADMALLORY
- Brittney Packnett Cunningham @MSPACKYETTI
- Monique Melton @MOEMOTIVATE
- Ijeoma Oluo @IJEOMAOLUO
Where to join upcoming protests across the UK this week. Please remember to keep a 2m distance where possible, wear gloves and masks to say safe!
MONDAY, JUNE 8
Dublin – The Spire, 1pm
JUNE 10
Hull – Queens Gardens, 1pm
JUNE 13
Reading – Town Hall, 12pm
Kings Lynn – Town Hall, 2pm
