Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter.

These three words in particular hold so much weight.

These three words need to be spoken loudly, shared widely, and written often. 
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Black Lives Matter.

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery matter.

​All of the lives lost and impacted by police brutality and a history of abuse matter. 

When engaging in conversations about racism, inequality, privilege, and social justice we must strive for productivity. Dialogue must serve as a stepping stone towards larger positive changes. For our words to matter, for those discussions to be worthwhile, we need to be using and understanding the language around these injustices.

I created the graphics below to help educate, advocate, and fuel the changes that need to be made. The list of definitions and books/stories are not comprehensive, but I hope that they may serve as a starting place for learning and sharing knowledge with younger generations as well.

Two things I keep circling back to are (1) start where you are and do what you can, and, (2) advocacy is met with animosity. Please keep these sentiments in mind.

May the comment section serve as a safe space to add recommendations, resources, and use words thoughtfully.

If you are interested in reading any of these books (and cannot currently check them out of your local library) I recommend purchasing through World of Books (https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-us/about-us) or other secondhand sites. World of Books in particular was founded under the belief that literature should be reread, reused, and sold in a way that supports charities and makes a positive impact. Our planet is in need of help too, and ordering books through a site like this is a small action you can choose to make a difference.

Additional Resources:

1. https://m4bl.org/
2. https://www.gofundme.com/f/black-owned-businesses-relief-fund
3. https://www.instagram.com/mvmnt4blklives/
4. https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/
5. https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
6. https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
7. https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/
8. https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home
9. https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions#solutionsoverview
10. https://www.cuapb.org/
11. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
12. https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6857/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15780&_ga=2.209233111.496632409.1590767838-1184367471.1590767838
13. https://www.aclu.org/
14. https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd?recruiter=1096617288&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_abi&recruited_by_id=2943f820-a174-11ea-b563-a538d17ee3bd
15. https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforfloyd_george_floyd_minneapolis
16. https://blacklivesmatter.com/chapters/
17. This is an incredibly useful resource filled with free readings and ways to educate yourself: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LXPuMSClWqPlOKYGVumjUXj-_ZWe71hf

​© Annie Fay Meitchik. All Rights Reserved. All content on anniefay.com is my own or credit is given when applicable, please do not use any of my images before contacting me above or @ anniefaymeitchik@gmail.com.