June 5 would have been Breonna Taylor’s 27th Birthday. The previous day, George Floyd was memorialized in Minneapolis. As demonstrations and protests breakout throughout the country, Fairfax Young Democrats want to add our voices to the chorus: Black Lives Matter!. 

Enough is enough! The tragic losses of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery continue a dire trend of violence on black bodies. In this moment of reflection, we must all look into ourselves on how we can stop the proliferation of these acts. Fairfax County is not immune to this violence either. In this moment of reflection, we must all look into ourselves on how we can stop the proliferation of these acts.

Do not let their lives be taken in vain!

We realize not everyone can participate in a march amidst a pandemic, and even if you can, the work doesn’t stop there. We have composed some concrete actions you can take from home to effect change in Virginia.

Action: Educate Yourself

Read.

So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Olou
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
They Can't Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America's Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Black Stats: African Americans by the Numbers in the Twenty-First Century by Monique W. Morris
Choke Hold: Policing Black Me by Paul Butler

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper
Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PHD
Beloved by Toni Morrison

Listen. 

• #TellBlackStories

• Code Switch

• About Race

• Scene on Radio: Seeing White

• Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast

• The Diversity Gap

• Intersectionality Matters! Hosted by Kimberle Crenshaw

• The Stoop

• Still Processing

• Justice in America 

Watch. 

• The Hate U Give 

• 13th (Netflix) 

• Dear White People (Netflix) 

• If Beale Street Could Talk

• Just Mercy

• Fruitvale Station

• The Innocence Files (Netflix)

Action: Donate

Only you know what you can afford to give right now. Please give what you can. Your financial well being still matters. We need you to stay engaged and active for the long haul. 

Fairfax County NAACP

Richmond Community Bail Fund

Roanoke Community Bail Fund

Campaign Zero

Black Lives Matter

Fairfax Young Democrats is a volunteer organization and we are always looking to add new members. 

FYD offers training, networking, leadership opportunities, and learning experiences. For less than a night at the movies, you can help keep Fairfax County blue and help lead the next generation of the Democratic Party.