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Aside from showing up at protests (wear a mask the whole time! to not spread COVID and to protect your identity!), talking with neighbors (I think I convinced an older white guy that being at a protest doesn’t mean you deserve tear gas), and donating money (scroll down for places), I’ve been reading and reflecting and flagging for follow-up. White supremacy is ingrained in nearly every aspect of my life. Recognizing it, unlearning it. and actively working against it is possible (and necessary!) and I’m in it for the long haul. If you’re tired of hearing about racism, imagine how tired Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are of experiencing and living it! Here are a list of articles, tweets, and organizations relevant to Black Lives Matter, protests, and anti-racism. Please read and share, and contact me if you have suggestions/corrections.

Articles I’ve read/on my to-read list

This is a mix of articles on current events and analysis of historical events that provide context for the current Black Lives Matter movement. I’ve put things in alphabetical order by author’s last name. You’re welcome to provide further suggestions!

• “How Western media would cover Minneapolis if it happened in another country” by Karen Attiah on The Washington Post
• “Antifa isn’t the problem. Trump’s bluster is a distraction from police violence.” by Mark Bray on The Washington Post
• “Sorry, I Can’t Just Focus on the Science” by Naia Butler-Craig on her personal website
• Campaign Zero, dedicated to zero deaths by police
• “We Are Living in the Age of the Black-Panic Defense” by Jelani Cobb on The New Yorker
• “Police Erupt in Violence Nationwide” by Matthew Dessem on Slate
• “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther” by Juan Gonzáles, Amy Goodman, and Jeffrey Haas on Democracy Now
• “Was Fred Hampton Executed?” by Jeff Gottlieb and Jeff Cohen on The Nation
• “When police ratchet up the force, violence gets worse, not better” by Michael Gould-Wartofsky on The Washington Post
• “Panther 21 hero Afeni Shakur, presente!” by Lamont Lilly on Workers World
• “Anti-Racism Resources for Fellow White Women” by Sarah Olsen on Medium
• “The Murder of Fred Hampton” on the People’s Law Office
• “Becoming a Parent in the Age of Black Lives Matter” by Clint Smith on The Atlantic
• “Police Are Hurting People Because They Want To” by Jessica Valenti on Medium
• Read up on Juneteenth (the actual end of formal slavery in the US)
• Read up on the Tulsa race massacre/Black Wall Street Massacre (happened 99 years ago May 31/June1)

Twitter threads that are extra super good

I’ve re-tweeted and signal-boosted lots on my twitter, but these threads get extra mention. Again, alphabetical by last name, where possible.

• #BlackBirdersWeek
• #BlackInNature
• This thread by Catherine Hernandez on how white people can handle internal feelings that arise from working their own anti-racism
• This thread by Kelendria Keys Slider on how non-Black people can/should check in on their Black friends
• This thread by Brian Nord on being Black in (astro-)physics
• This thread by Esther Odek on how scientific practice has used and abused Black people, and why none of us can sit by silently
• This thread by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on Black self-defense vs police violence
• This thread by Tess Sharpe on how white people (especially white women) can intervene and de-escalate an individual situation between BIPOC and police. Remember, “ally” is a verb!
• This thread by Samuel Sinyangwe on meaningful legislation that has been proposed/passed to address police violence
• This thread by Claire Willett on how J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI smeared the good name and reputation of the Black Panthers (the Fred Hampton articles from above I got from this thread)

Organizations to donate to

• Various bail funds/freedom funds: Michigan, Minnesota, Brooklyn, Bronx, National Bail Fund Directory (links to many places), The Bail Project (national); Note: some places like Washington DC don’t have cash bail, so do some quick searching if you’re unsure if a bail fund is legit (Most/all? of these don’t require a US address to donate)
• National Lawyers Guild: a progressive organization of professional lawyers who provide legal support for activists (including defending some pro-bono) (doesn’t require a US address to donate)
• Southern Poverty Law Center: monitors hate groups and extremist groups in the US (doesn’t require a US address to donate)
• American Civil Liberties Union: legal group that works for civil rights on a wide variety of issues (Note: each state also has their own chapter, and some states have a Mobile Justice app for recording the police and automatically uploading to their cloud server) (I don’t think it requires a US address to donate?)
• Professional orgs that support our Black colleagues (including students) like the National Society of Black Physicists (includes astro), National Society of Black Engineers, National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, etc.

Lansing-area twitter accounts to follow for protest and safety info

• BLMLansing (FYI, they did not organize the May 31st protest; after a few hours of the nonviolent protest that formed, they strongly encouraged everyone to go home)
• LansingDSA
• BLMPolice and InghamScanner (tweets of what’s said on the police scanner)

Some more articles, while you’re here

• “How Racism Is Shaping The Coronavirus Pandemic” by Isaac Chotiner on The New Yorker
• “How Is It ‘Being Silenced’ When You Won’t Shut Up About It?” by Kevin Gannon on The Tattooed Professor
• “Land-grab universities” by Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone on High Country News
• “OpNewblood Guide for IRC Chat Setup & Anonymity” on keeping yourself secure on the internet

If we’re mutuals on Instagram, you can also check out some info and resources I’ve saved to my IG Stories.

Take care 💖

I got into podcasts maybe 6 months ago (I know, I’m like 10 years late to the game), and I really love them. I listen to them when I’m waking up and getting ready in the morning, driving, doing chores or tasks around the house, and working out. My podcast app of choice is Podcast Republic for Android, which lets me play episodes through my Chromecast when I’m at home, and it saves the podcast files to my phone’s SD card (where there’s a lot more space). Below are a list of my favourite podcasts so far (in alphabetical order) with a particularly great recent (or recent-ish) episode.

99% Invisible

The gist of it: Design of everyday things
Recommended episodes: “Bijlmer (City of the Future, Part 1)”
“Blood, Sweat, and Tears (City of the Future, Part 2)”

By The Book

The gist of it: Living by a self-help book for two weeks
Recommended episodes: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck”
“Epilogue: The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck”

Can I Pet Your Dog?

The gist of it: Dog-lovers talk about dogs they met
Recommended episode: “CIPYD 113: David Huntsberger Returns and the Brittany”

Hidden Brain

The gist of it: Life’s unseen patterns
Recommended episodes: “Men: 45, Women: 0”
“The Lonely American Man”

Invisibilia

The gist of it: Invisible forces that shape human behavior
Recommended episode: “I, I, I. Him.”

My Brother, My Brother and Me

The gist of it: Horrible advice for hilarious questions, or hilarious advice for horrible questions
I generally like all of them (except the live ones). If you’re new, ignore the backlog and just start listening.

Radiolab

The gist of it: Miscellany
Recommended episode: “Radiolab Presents: More Perfect – The Gun Show”

Revisionist History

The gist of it: Untold stories/perspectives in history
They’re all great, just start listening.

Revolutions

The gist of it: How revolutions shaped history
They’re all great, just jump in.

Rough Translation

The gist of it: American current events in international contexts
Recommended episode: “American Surrogate”

Self Care with Drs. Sarah

The gist of it: Academic self-care with two lady astronomers
Recommended episode: “Episode 19: Jealousy”
(I’ve loved every episode, but the one I link to is one that stuck with me extra)

Stuff Mom Never Told You

The gist of it: Feminism
They’re all great, just start listening.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

The gist of it: Untold stories/perspectives of history
They’re all great, just start listening.

Tell Me Something I Don’t Know

The gist of it: Miscellany
They’re all great, just start listening.

The Memory Palace

The gist of it: Historical narratives
They’re all great, just start listening.

Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

The gist of it: Weekly news quiz with comedy
Recommended episode: “Andrew Farah”

Where Should We Begin?

The gist of it: Actual couples therapy sessions on deep issues
They’re all great. Work through the short archives.

After the US federal election and subsequent strong increase in hate crimes and bullying of minorities (source), I and many others have decided to donate to organizations that protect and fight for human rights, civil liberties, and the environment. When you find the organizations you want to support (see below for a list), you get the option to donate once or donate monthly. Here’s why you should donate monthly.

They get to plan with a stable budget

With monthly donations, the organization can have a stable budget and make longer-term plans, instead of just building up and draining the coffers. This allows it to have paid staff with some semblance of job stability, and to take on projects or actions with a larger scope. It may only be $10-$20 from you each month, but when lots of people do that, it adds up. So you can even donate the same amount as you might do in a one-time lump (usually there’s a minimum donation of $5 or $10), but the way it’s structured is more beneficial for the organization’s planning.

Set it and forget it

Monthly donations are automatic, so they require no extra effort from you, and many organizations take PayPal in addition to credit cards. For me, it’s easier on my own budgeting to donate $15 per month than $180 all at once.

Organizations to support

Jezebel put together a list of organizations. Not on there that I also like: Trans Lifeline and the National Resources Defense Council. Also, local organizations in your community (crisis centers, education reform groups, advocacy groups, etc.).

But this is too many organizations!

Yes, it’s a lot. Pick a few that really speak to you and set up $10-$20 monthly donations. Maybe pick another few and do a one-time donation. You can, for example, donate to Lambda Legal or Planned Parenthood in honor of VP-elect Pence, and he’ll get a certificate stating so!

You can also sign up for email newsletters from organizations to get more involved in their local/state/national actions and campaigns.
Header image source

Two of my favourite people have new blogs! The first is my sister, Emily, who’s doing volunteer work in Asheville, North Carolina supported by the Presbyterian church, at Habitat for Humanity.

 

The second is my friend and “PhD-sister”, Catia, who has an eye for fashion and sews amazing clothes.

Check ’em out!