Black Lives Matter UK: How Can You Help?
Black Lives Matter UK strives to campaign for the rights of black people and fights against systemic and systematic racism in our society.
If you haven’t heard the slogan ‘black lives matter’, you must have been living under a rock because the world has been in uproar since the unlawful murder of George Floyd by white police officers in the US. The voices that have been shouting for centuries (yes, centuries) are FINALLY being heard.
With the blackout Tuesday trend taking over social media, many celebrities including Kendall Jenner and Katie Price in support of son Harvey Price, took to social media to show their support.
However, posting a black square and hashtag is simply not enough; we need to take action.
The Black Lives Matter movement aims to dismantle and rebuild old-fashioned institutions and social relations that only serve to maintain inequality and prejudice against the black community.
Will you stand up and help? Here’s how you can get involved if you’re based in the UK…
Image Source: /Humanist Society Scotland
You Can Become A Volunteer
One way you can help the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK is to become a volunteer. You can sign up to be a volunteer on the official blacklivesmatter.uk website. Volunteering activities can include: distributing leaflets around your local area, joining a team to speak publicly about race and racism and proof-reading reports and articles etc.
There are many different active volunteering roles; each and every one of them important!
Video Source: /YouTube
You Can Become A Partner & Sponsor
Another way you can get involved in the fight against racism is to become a sponsor. Black Lives Matter UK are calling all businesses to do their bit and donate to the movement in any way they can. If you’re a business owner, you can actively join the campaign by signing up to partner with Black Lives Matter by enquiring on their website.
Image Source: /blacklivesmatter.uk/sponsor
Donate
Black Lives Matter UK is only able to make an impact on people’s lives if it has the sufficient funds to make changes. If you want to really help the cause, you can donate on the official blacklivesmatter.com page and you can also donate on their official gofundme page.
Image Source: /XLR8R
Lend Your Skills
Are you a photoshop wizard? Have an eye for photography? Or maybe you’re extremely good at public speaking? If you are able to lend your skills to the Black Lives Matter organisation and have the ability to design and produce supporting materials for the cause, this is a great opportunity to put those skills into practice!
Image Source: /Dezeen
Speak Out Against Racism
It isn’t enough to be passively non-racist, we need to be actively anti-racist and this means speaking out against racism in any form it takes; whether that be calling family members or friends out for racist jokes or comments and making a concerted effort to check ourselves too.
Image Source: /ITV Hub
Educate Yourself
One of the most impactful things you can do to help the Black Lives Matter movement is to educate yourself. Fill the gaps in your knowledge and be willing to learn and change your mindset. Learn about white privilege, learn about the history of the racism, read books by black authors, listen to podcasts and watch films!
There are many resources that luckily this generation is able to access at the click of a button! Google and social media platforms are your friends.
Also check out Layla Saad’s book Me and White Supremacy and Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race. These books highlight the economic context of racism and are useful tools to combat the way we think about race, and how to move forward progressively.
Image Source: /Quercus Books
Support Black-Owned Businesses
Instead of rushing to Topshop and all the mainstream high-street stores to buy your clothes and bodycare products, why not support your local black-owned businesses? Many black-owned businesses are independent businesses that desperately need funding and are often overshadowed by big businesses. There are so many black-owned UK businesses that specialise in unique fashionable clothing, haircare and skincare products.
You can check out a list of them here.
Image Source: /UK Black Owned Businesses
Whatever you can to get involved, do it but remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint. You don’t need to overwhelm yourself by trying to do too much at one.
To conclude, do a little bit every day and actively changing your mindset is a huge step forward.
