Written by Ryane Nicole Granados, Edited by Lauren Eggert-Crowe, and Resources by Ashley Perez
It is with a heavy heart that we find ourselves in a position, once again, to draft a statement in support of Black lives and to denounce police brutality, while reaffirming our commitment to fighting anti-Black racism. We know members of our community are tired. The exhaustion is a soul deep weariness from a lifetime of saying name after name of those murdered in the name of hate.
The ongoing, tragic killings of unarmed Black men and women, including most recently, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade have continued to expose our society as a system built to oppress and harm Black people while perpetuating white supremacy.
As a result, Women Who Submit stands in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Some of our members are Black mothers and daughters and spouses and artists and educators and activists, and their very existence in a world determined to deny them their humanity is revolutionary. We recognize their revolution.
One action we can take immediately is to make our solidarity visible through our art, activism and our voices. If you are protesting, let us know and we will spread the word. If you are writing, let us encourage you to submit because your words matter. If you are tired, let us help you carry on because the more of us who mobilize, the greater our impact will be.
Black writers’ lives matter. Black readers’ lives matter. Black children’s lives matter. Black women’s lives matter. All Black lives matter, now and always.
We believe in a world that values community over policing. We want to build a society that invests in education, housing, healthcare and the arts, not an ever-expanding and dominating police presence. We lend our time and energy to the work of building a network of resources that nourish the community and uplift Black lives.
Resistance is a collection of small and grand acts by people who care. Women Who Submit leadership and membership are resisting by attending protests, donating to organizations that support Black lives, making calls to legislators, demanding independent prosecutions in unlawful killings and supporting bailout efforts for protestors. Below is a list of organizations that need your dollars, and as we search for additional ways to help bolster the fight, we also share the following collection of works and resources that we have found helpful in these troubling times.
When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent we are still afraid. So it is better to speak–Audre Lorde
Roxane Gay: Remember, No One is Coming to Save Us
Teachers Must Hold Themselves Accountable for Dismantling Racial Oppression
Black Lives Matter: A Playlist of Powerful StoryCorps Interviews
Ways to help Black Lives Matter
Directory of Community Bail Funds
Mental Health Resources for Black Folx:
- Self Care Tips for Black People During this Painful Week
- Seven Mental Health Resources Supporting Black People Right Now
- “What’s Good Bro?” A Brotherhood Mental Health Check-In (Twitter post)
Other Mental Health Resources:
“How to Cope With Race-Based Trauma” (Teen Vogue)
“BREATHWORK for Activists: FREE. Mon 6/1, Wed 6/3, & Fri 6/5 @ 1pm” (Instagram post)
“Sharing these resources hoping they can help anyone needing additional support/tools” (Twitter thread)
“Street Somatics: Tips for Regulating Nervous Systems in Uprisings” (Instagram post)
Work for Non-Black People of Color and White folxs to do:
5 Steps Latinxs Can Take to Combat Anti-Blackness (Instagram post)
“Notes to Self on Unlearning Whiteness” (Instagram post)
“6 Things You Can Do as a Family to be Anti-Racist” (Instagram post)
“What are the myths I tell myself about this county and how do those myths perpetuate white supremacy, anti-blackness, and anti-immigrant sentiments?” (Twitter thread)
“What To Do if a Family Member is Racist & Says Something Racist” (Instagram post)
“Allies: Now is the time to be in the service of Black liberation.” (Instagram post)
“10 Steps To Non-Optical Allyship” (Twitter thread)
“FOR OUR WHITE FRIENDS DESIRING TO BE ALLIES” (Sojourners)
“Breathe and Push: Being a Better Ally” (Women Who Submit)
Tips on Resistance Beyond Protesting & Thoughts on Protest:
“Resistance is NOT a One Lane Highway.” (Twitter post)
“It is not your choice to determine how an oppressed group protests.” (Instagram post)
“How to Support Protesters in Every City” (Paper Magazine)
“To Stop, Listen, and Act: How You Can Help Protesters and Black Lives Matter Groups” (Indiewire)
“Ways to Support the Resistance From Your Couch” (Instagram post)
“A Resource Roundup for Those Looking Where to Start” (Instagram post)
Anti-Racist Education Resources:
Unlearning Racism: A Reading List (Skylight Books)
“Black Leaders Discussion feat. Angela Davis, Kwame Ture & Fannie Lou Hamer (1973)” (YouTube)
“An Antiracist Reading List:Ibram X. Kendi on books to help America transcend its racist heritage.” (The New York Times)
“A Small Needful Fact” a poem by Ross Gay about Eric Garner (poets.org)
“Black History Bootcamp: A 21-day walking meditation” (Instagram post) (STARTS TODAY 6/1)
The Tulsa Massacre, May 31, 1921 (The Black Wall Street) (Instagram Post)
“This newspaper has never forgotten the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre — and its fight continues” (LA Times)
“Ninety-nine years ago today, in what became known as the Tulsa Massacre, white supremacists destroyed a thriving Black community in Oklahoma.” (Instagram post)
The Stacks Pod (Bookstagram Post)
“Is It An ‘Uprising’ Or A ‘Riot’? Depends On Who’s Watching” (NPR Code Switch)
“10 Books About Race To Read Instead Of Asking A Person Of Color To Explain Things To You” (Bustle)
“When They See Us” (Netflix – Documentary)
“When They See Us” learning companion (Array 101)
“Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup” (Pretty Good)
“ASHAKI JACKSON – Surveillance” (Writ Large Press)
“Teachers Must Hold Themselves Accountable for Dismantling Racial Oppression” (education post)
Actions to Take:
“Letters for Black Lives: An Open Letter Project on Anti-Blackness”
“20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now”
Thread of bail funds across the country (Twitter thread)
“37 bail funds that you can split btwn a single donation if you’re not sure where to donate” (Twitter thread)
“The University of California Merced Black Student Unions Call to Action Statement.” (Instagram post)
Support Black Owned Business:
Support Black-owned restaurants and pop-ups in the Bay Area!
A list of Black-owner indie bookstores to support while their doors are closed for COVID (and every other day, too) (Twitter thread)
