This is powerful and productive — and there's so much more work that the country needs to do to move beyond conversation. For more than 400 years, the systems that built and uphold American society have demonstrated a disregard for Black people's humanity. Today, brutal police forces across the country are strong-arming and killing Black people before our very eyes. This state-sanctioned violence and murder is not new — it is just more visible now, as it is filmed and shared in the public eye.
Systemic racism isn't something that's "out there" — it's right here, right now, and we have the power to abolish it.
Part of that power requires us to look inward. Because our fight for reproductive freedom doesn't exist in a vacuum. The policing of Black bodies makes the promise of reproductive freedom unattainable. We need to examine how white supremacy of the past and present lives in the institutions we are a part of today. Planned Parenthood Action Fund's commitments to you include a reckoning of our own history and how we show up today; addressing and correcting implicit bias within the organization; and supporting and making space for the Black organizations and leaders already at the forefront of this fight.
Here are actions you can take today towards dismantling systems of racism and injustice in our communities:
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RSVP to join Planned Parenthood Action Fund, MoveOn, Color of Change, and other partners for a Facebook Live townhall tomorrow, Thursday, June 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET to discuss anti-racism and the political and cultural significance of the movement for Black lives protests.
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Sign the Color of Change petition HERE to demand the officers who killed Breonna Taylor are fired.
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Support the voter registration efforts of Black Voters Matter.
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Donate to your local bail fund, or to the National Bail Fund Network which divides the money between bail funds in cities across the country.
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Black folks: Take care of yourself. Here are some resources for how to practice self-care during this painful and traumatic time.
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Non-Black folks: Educate yourself and the people around you to deepen your understanding of how racism affects us all by reading these anti-racism resources and having conversations with your family and friends.
Wherever you are, have tough conversations, join a protest if you can, and address your own biases. Fighting for Black lives requires more than sharing on social media. It requires revolution — and that starts with you.
