Dear Friend,
For generations, rampant discrimination, terror, and violence have been waged against Black Americans. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black population is a byproduct of this long history of anti-Black racism. Relentless police violence targeting and extinguishing Black life—an imposing remnant from the history of U.S. chattel slavery—has heightened and compounded the severity of this moment for Black communities.
In light of the most recent police killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Tony McDade, David McAtee, and Breonna Taylor, we stand in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters—but we know that is not enough. We must act. We understand that the well-being of our society as a whole relies on ensuring justice and prosperity for all people and giving specific, unambiguous voice to guarantee justice and prosperity for Black people. We are inspired by the masses of Americans and international allies marching in the streets to demand systems change.
While many of us have long been contributing to the fight for justice, now is the time to speak out and take bold action.
And there are many ways to take action—whether by peacefully rallying in the streets, volunteering your time with a Black-led community organization, donating money, or however else you are best equipped to help. Below is a list of resources that have risen to the top for us that we hope will move your heart and mind toward love, healing, and justice:
Educate yourself.
Anti-Racism Resources
The Guide to Becoming a Black Community Ally
Guidelines for Being Strong White Allies
Donate to organizations working to dismantle racism.
Be an informed protester. Many organizations are providing resources regarding your rights and safety while engaging in a protest, including the ACLU, Amnesty International, and the National Lawyers Guild.
Help change the system. If you want ideas for how to make an impact to improve our democracy, contact [email protected] to learn more.
And if you’re having a hard time finding your place in the work, check out 26 Other Ways to Be in the Struggle.
However you’re able to take action, it’s important to remember that racism exists at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels. While it’s true that we need change at the federal level, we also need to actively seek change in our state and local governments, in our day-to-day interactions within our communities, and among our own friends and families. Here are some actions we can all take now:
- To confront individual racism, we must each do the hard work of taking an honest look at how racism lives within us, how we might heal, and how we can support our friends and neighbors to do the same.
- To confront interpersonal racism, we must interrogate the ways we discriminate in our everyday interactions with Black and Brown people, or those who are racially different from us, and we must step boldly into allyship by asking whose voice is missing and challenging how power and resources are moving and to whom.
- To confront institutional racism, we must learn about our history and the many ways racism and anti-Black attitudes are built into our systems and structures. We must be tireless in our civic engagement and support (financially or otherwise) anti-racism work.
Tides recognizes the urgency and desperation of this pivotal moment. We have convened virtually as a staff to listen, reflect, process, and grieve—and we have created space for our Black colleagues to share their experiences. As we move forward as a community, we are committed to taking action alongside our partners to demand positive, effective change for those most impacted by racist and oppressive systems. We urge you to make the same commitment.
In solidarity,
