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In Solidarity with the Black Community

6/1/2020

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Las Musas is united in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. We mourn and are outraged over the loss of every precious Black life.  This fight is our fight. 

We demand the arrests and prosecution of the police officers who are responsible for the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless others.  We demand the prosecution of ex-police officer Travis McMichael and his son Gregory McMichael for their murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

We support the Black freedom fighters who daily rise up against white supremacy to dismantle systemic racism and risk their lives in the protests for their human right to breathe in peace; for their human right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness; for their human right to fight against the brutality they have continued to suffer for centuries in America.

We acknowledge anti-Blackness in our Latinx community and seek to root out and extinguish it. We have all been drinking from the poisoned well of systemic racism and, therefore, each one of us has internalized racism. We vow to examine our own hearts and call in dialogue those in our families and communities who perpetuate the cycle of systemic oppression against the Black community. We vow to intervene when we see Black people being harassed, gaslit, and antagonized online. 

We call for the decolonization of our education systems that are at the root of raising white supremacists and domestic terrorists. We call for an end to school-prison pipelines. We call for the divestment and demilitarization of police and investment in Black and Brown communities and education systems not corporate bailouts. 

We call on the publishing industry to be accountable and hire Black agents and Black editors that represent the Black demographic in our society. We call on publishers to make the industry accessible by creating virtual internships and job positions. We call on library systems and librarians to purchase, promote, and circulate diverse works by Black creators. 

We know the power of words and demand news outlets to be held accountable. We will not accept false narratives that seek to reframe and criminalize the Black Lives Matter Movement. We demand that Telemundo and Univision stop endangering the lives of the Black community by demonizing the BLM freedom fighters and instead use the power of these platforms to fight for justice. 

We will not be silent. We will speak up with our voices, our art, and the power of our platforms for a rightful redistribution of the wealth the Brown and Black community have afforded this country. We promise to support and uplift Black creators. As Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network said, we will “reimagine a world with an economy of care versus an economy of punishment” and fight for it with our allyship, our money, and our activism. The Black community’s fight for justice is our fight. In moments of protest and moments of celebration, we are united. Black liberation and Black joy is our joy. Black lives matter. Black voices matter. Black futures matter. Black dreams matter.

If you wish to join us in this fight, below is a jumping off point of suggested activism, places to donate, and ways to educate yourself in how to be anti-racist. This list is by no means comprehensive and will continue to grow, but we hope it serves as a place to start on your journey. 

- Las Musas


RESOURCES...(below)

Suggested Activism:
  • Support Black Businesses (see list below for places to start with).
  • Donate to Bail Funds (National Bail Fund Network), or mutual aid funds (National Mutual Aid Funds), and organizations doing the work to bring justice. (More below)
  • If you are capable, show up to protest in your cities.
    • Support protesters. DO NOT show their faces in photos or videos. 
    • Donate to bail funds
    • If you are joining the protests make sure to protect yourself: wear a mask, sunglasses. (see here for protest gear, check out how to protest safely)
    • If you attend a protest, be sure to clean up after yourself or show up next day to clean up.
    • Check out “26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets”
    • How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct
    • ​​How to Support Protesters in Every City
  • Talk to your family and children about what’s happening
    • ​Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup
  • Contact your representatives! Check out Resist Bot for helpful tips.
  • George Floyd: What is going on and what can I do?
  • Justice In June Action Guide: Links to the learning resources and a schedule of what to do each day. ​
  • Demand the name be released of the police officer who murdered Tony Mcdade: 1-800-410-7000 or tpdpublicrecords@talgov.com
    • Check out the Action Network Petition 
  • Demand justice for Breonna Taylor by calling the Louisville mayor at (502) 753-1784 or check out how to donate and other action items: https://justiceforbreonna.org/​
  • Demand Justice for Elijah McClain.
    • Sign the petition
    • Read more here
    • Action Items (where to call and what to say)
​
Donations (a few were moved to organizations to follow as they no longer request donations):
  • ​CommunityBailFunds.com
  • National Bail Fund Network
  • Reclaim the Block
  • Black Visions Collective
  • Black Lives Matter
  • Southern Poverty Law Center
  • NAACP
  • Assata’s Daughters
  • National Mutual Aid Funds
  • Black Trans Travel Fund

Black Businesses (Including Bookstores!)
  • Black Owned Business Google List
  • https://www.Blackbusinesslist.com/
  • https://www.supportBlackowned.com/ 
  • https://www.Blackenterprise.com/directory-of-Black-owned-businesses-and-organizations/
  • https://thegrio.com/2020/03/23/50-Black-businesses-during-coronavirus/
  • Aggregate List of GoFundMe’s for Minneapolis Black and Brown owned businesses 
  • Aggregated List of Black owned Tea companies

Bookstores
  • A list of Black-owned indie bookstores closed during Covid https://twitter.com/sosaidvictoria/status/1267105818245201928
  • ​Books and Crannies, VA: https://www.booksandcranniesva.com/
  • Uncle Bobbies (Philly): https://www.unclebobbies.com/
  • Mahogany Books (DC): https://www.mahoganybooks.com/
  • SemiColon Bookstore (Chicago) http://www.semicolonchi.com/
  • LitBar (Bronx, NY): http://www.thelitbar.com/
  • Ashay by the Bay: https://ashaybythebay.com/
  • Harriet’s Bookshop: https://www.harriettsbookshop.com/
  • Detroit Book City: https://www.detroitbookcity.com/
  • Cafe Con Libros: https://www.cafeconlibrosbk.com/​
  • Brave and Kind Bookshop (Georgia): https://www.braveandkindbooks.com/
  • Community Book Center (NOLA): https://www.facebook.com/Community-Book-Center-178125373443/
  • The Sister’s Uptown Bookstore (NYC): https://experienceonekin.co/collections/the-sisters-uptown-bookstore
  • Eso Won Books: https://www.esowonbookstore.com/
  • Willa’s Books & Vinyl: https://www.willasbookskc.com/
  • Source Booksellers (Detroit): http://www.sourcebooksellers.com/
  • Amalgam Comic Books (Philly): https://amalgamphilly.com/
  • Underground Books: https://www.sthope.org/underground-books-home
  • WordUp Bookstore: https://www.wordupbooks.com/
  • Loyalty Books (DC / Silver Spring, MD: https://www.loyaltybookstores.com/

Books, Articles, Organizations, etc.

Books (divided by genre and/or age-range when available) 

Lists
  • 12 Afro-Latinx Kid Lit Creators You Can Support Right Now
  • ​A list of children’s books to talk about race and racism 
  • 100 Picture Books Including Black People and Communities 
  • The Brown Bookshelf: https://thebrownbookshelf.com/blog/
  • The Conscious Kid: https://www.theconsciouskid.org/
  • Anti-Racist Kids’ Books: https://bookshop.org/lists/anti-racist-kids-books
  • Black Kids Living Goodreads List by Shanna Miles
  • Afoma Umesi’s 45 Black Young Adult Novels to Add to your TBR
  • 10 Books About Race To Read Instead Of Asking A Person Of Color To Explain Things To You

​NonFiction
  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds  
  • Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi 
  • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. 
  • Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim. 
  • So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. 
  • The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
  • This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell & Aurelia Durand
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
  • Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward
  • Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson:
  • When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
  • The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
  • Teaching for Black Lives by Rethinking Schools 
  • A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
  • How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X Kendi

Fiction YA
  • Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi
  • Dear Martin by Nic Stone 
  • Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles 
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 
  • Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite
  • Black Flamingo by Dean Atta 
  • All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
  • Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
  • American Street by Ibi Zoboi
  • A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell

Middle Grade
  • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson 
  • Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes 
  • Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds
  • New Kid by Jerry Craft
  • One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee 
  • Blended by Sharon Draper
  • Just South of Home by Karen Strong
  • From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Picture Book
  • Hands Up! by Breanna J McDaniel
  • Freedom Soup by Tami Charles
  • A Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory: 
  • Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson: 
  • Race Cars by Jenny Devenny 
  • The AntiRacist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi 
  • This Is The Rope, The Day You Begin, and Visiting Day by Jacqueline Woodson 
  • We Shall Overcome (the story of a song) by Debbie Levy/Vanessa Brantley-Newton 
  • Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham & Charles Waters 
  • Carole Boston Weatherford Books
  • All Because You Matter by Tami Charles (Coming October 6, 2020) 
  • Don Tate, author/illustrator books  
  • Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Loney 
  • The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes
  • Mandela, The Ring Bearer, Jump, Max and the Tag-a-Long Moon by Floyd Cooper 
  • Tiara’s Hat Parade, Ellen’s Broom, and Hope’s Gift by Kelly Starling Lyons 

Booktubers and Bloggers
  • Bee But Bookish’s Suggested List of Black Bloggers
  • Penguin Teen’s Black Booktubers to Follow
  • ​​Black Bloggers, Vloggers and Content Creators List

Documentaries
  • 13th by Ava DuVernay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_(film)
  • The Central Park Five by Ken Burns, David McMahin, and Sarah Burns https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-central-park-five/
  • 10 Black History Documentaries http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/10-black-history-documentaries-to-watch/
  • ​29 Movies, Shows, and Documentaries to Watch to Educate Yourself on Racial Injustice​

Articles
  • ​Recursos Antirracistas en Español
  • Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup
  • For Our White Friends Desiring to be Allies: https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies
  • 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice: https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
  • Anti-Racism Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/edit
  • Resources for White People to Learn and Talk About Race and Racism: https://blog.fracturedatlas.org/resources-for-white-people-to-learn-and-talk-about-race-and-racism-5b207fff4fc7
  • History of Police Brutality: https://www.100yearhoodie.com/why
  • Why Understanding Colorism Within the Latino Community Is So important  https://hiplatina.com/colorism-within-the-latino-community/
  • 26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets https://issuu.com/nlc.sf.2014/docs/beyondthestreets_final
  • On the Need for Cross-Racial Solidarity in the Latino Community: https://remezcla.com/features/culture/george-floyd-this-moment-in-history-and-cross-racial-solidairty/
  • George Floyd, Central Park and the familiar terror they inspire: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-05-28/george-floyd-central-park-familiar-terror-they-inspire
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race
  • Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus

​Podcasts
  • Code Switch https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
  • Pod Save The People https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-people/
  • In The Thick https://www.inthethick.org/about
  • 1619 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/podcasts/1619-podcast.html
  • It’s Been A Minute: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510317/its-been-a-minute-with-sam-sanders
  • The Reveal: https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/

Organizations
  • Showing Up For Racial Justice: https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/
  • Clemmons Family Farm: http://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/
  • Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/
  • Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org​
  • The Sweet Water Foundation: https://www.sweetwaterfoundation.com/
  • Sipp Culture: http://sippculture.com/
  • The Loop Lab: https://www.thelooplab.org/
  • Designing Justice: https://designingjustice.org/
  • People's Paper Co-op: https://villagearts.org/portfolio-item/peoples-paper-coop/?portfolioCats=73%2C72%2C74
  • The Bronx Book Festival: https://www.thebronxisreading.com/
  • Youth Art Project: http://www.yasproject.com/
  • Northstar Health Collective​​​

Social Media Accounts to Follow
  • Broobs (he/they) https://www.instagram.com/broobs.psd/
  • Tamika D. Mallory https://www.instagram.com/tamikadmallory/
  • Latinx Parenting https://www.instagram.com/latinxparenting/
  • The Conscious Kid https://www.instagram.com/theconsciouskid/?hl=en
  • Ijeoma Oluo https://twitter.com/IjeomaOluo
  • Rachel Cargle https://www.instagram.com/rachel.cargle/
  • Here We Read https://www.instagram.com/hereweeread
  • Hannah L. Drake: https://twitter.com/HannahDrake628
  • Saeed Jones: https://twitter.com/theferocity

Mental Health Resources
  • African American Focus Mental Health Organizations: https://www.Blackgirlssmile.org/resources
  • Black Virtual Therapist Directory: https://www.beam.community/bvtn
  • Ethel’s Club: https://www.ethelsclub.com/
  • Therapy for Black Girls: https://therapyforblackgirls.com/
  • Kiìri Wellness https://kiirewellness.com/about-oludare
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