Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed the lowest bowels of our American society with the unjust killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, sworn to protect and serve our communities. We are all grieving the death of not only George Floyd, but also Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin and countless other unseen victims of police brutality globally.
As we all attempt to process the racist, violent events that happened in the last few weeks — and centuries before that for that matter — our goal must be to fight for racial justice in order to create a better future TOGETHER. Dismantling racism should not only be the mission of the Black and Brown community, but rather the collective mission of the nation. We all have a role to play in the fight for injustice and we need to work hand-in-hand to learn how to become better allies regardless of our skin color.
We must proactively educate one another and raise awareness in order to eliminate racial oppression, injustice and inequality. Black lives should matter all the time, not just when violence happens or someone is killed.
As a Black owned company, we are committed to supporting communities of color globally. And while we try to process the pain inflicted on our community, our message to you is that we should stay united and keep our voices heard. But, it’s not enough anymore to say “we hear you”, we need to amplify our voices.
Recently, some black owned brands (including our own) have come under attack for either not being responsive enough on social media (in the eyes of the poster of the comment) or supporting someone who is deemed (by the poster of the comment) to be not supporting of the #BLM movement. Let me be clear…as a mother, wife, sister, aunt, cousin of a black son, husband, brother, nephews and cousins, I LIVE the Black Live Matters movement everyday of my life. So, I don’t need a hashtag to express my feelings. I need ACTION. Which is why I took to the streets to march with the George Floyd family, city leadership and 60,000 others. Now is the time to heal, support and uplift each other, instead of pushing a negative mob mentality and #cancelled culture. Now is the time to VOTE!
If you want to join this movement, here are some steps you can take to help those communities in mourning, and to fight the current structural injustice, systemic racism and police brutality against the Black community.
1 .Educate Yourself
It’s not the Black community’s role to educate everyone about racial injustice. It’s everyone’s responsibility to seek information and educate themselves about this matter. There are many free resources available online to everyone who seeks information about racism, social injustice and Black history.
2. Take Action
This is the fastest way to show your support and speak against the current events. You can join a peaceful march in your local area or simply sign the petition created by Color of Change, a nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization, here or text “Floyd” to 55156.
3. Make Your Voice Heard
Contact your local government and elected officials to demand justice and accountability. We shouldn’t remain silent against this racial oppression that is unfortunately so widespread in this country. Speak up and let your voice be heard. If you aren’t registered to vote, now is the time. (link : https://www.rockthevote.org/)
4. Donate
Offer financial support to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (link: https://www.naacpldf.org/) or the Minnesota Freedom Fund (link: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/) — nonprofit organizations to help the underserved fight for justice…or to your local legal freedom fund. You can also donate to other nonprofit organizations that support Black youth and our community as a whole.
And most importantly, keep the conversation going…
Forever Funky,
Renee Morris
