How to be an effective ally in the fight against racism

Read, listen, learn — Now is not the time to switch off. Now is the time to listen, learn, and act to support black communities in the US and beyond. Here's how you can do that.

This week, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest the killing of African American man George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The anger, coalesced behind the “Black Lives Matter” slogan, has seen violent clashes between police and protestors in cities across the United States and solidarity protests erupting across the world, including here in the UK.

As the demonstrations have intensified, so too has the rhetoric from the state. Yesterday President Donald Trump threatened to send in the military to quell the protests before violently clearing the streets outside the White House of nonviolent protestors so he could pose for a photoshoot outside a nearby church. Scenes of tear gas-filled streets and people fleeing as rounds of rubber bullets have been shot into crowds have dominated the news. Many have been killed and injured in the unrest. Despite the arrest and charging of Derek Chauvin – the police officer shown to be kneeling on Floyd’s neck in a viral video circulated after his death – there seems to be no end in sight.

As millions of people around the world demand #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd and the countless other innocent black lives lost in countries around the world to racial violence, we at Huck wish to express our continued support and solidarity for those demanding a better world. https://t.co/RcznBiQFjG
— huck (@HUCKmagazine) June 1, 2020

The killing of George Floyd is just another instance in a long line of systemic racist abuse, oppression and violence stretching back over centuries. For white allies, the question of how to support, step up and stop the cycle of hate has never weighed heavier. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Read, Listen, Learn

Funds

Donate to all 39 bail funds in the US.

More details on bail funds and legal help by city.

Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust

Reclaim the block

Black Visions Collective

Books

Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Speigel & Grau

Freedom is a Constant Struggle, Angela Davis, Haymarket

Notes of a Native Son, James Baldwin, Penguin Books

The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander, Penguin Books

Black and British: A Forgotten History, David Olusoga, Pan Macmilllan

White Privilege, Kalwant Bhopal, Policy Press

The Good Immigrant, Nikesh Shukla, Unbound

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Penguin Books

Born A Crime, Trevor Noah, John Murray Press

Me and White Supremacy, Layla F. Saad, Queercus Publishing

Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi, Penguin Books

Videos

Akala (author of Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire) addressing Oxford Union

The Color of Fear – Lee Mun Wah

The Danger of a Single Story – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“Black (live at the Brits 2020)” – Dave

Articles

A History of the N-word – Tetsuhiko Endo

It’s time Britain confronted its racist, oppressive past – Kemi Alemoru

George Floyd is now a household name in the UK, why isn’t Jimmy Mubenga? – Aaron Bastani (Novara)

The Case for Reparations – Ta-Nahesi Coates (The Atlantic)

Toni Morrison and What Our Mothers Could Not Say (The New Yorker)

Any and all content on gal-dem (you should also become a member).

Podcasts

About Race – Renni Eddo-Lodge

This American Life – The Problem We All Live With

Further anti-racism resources

This Google Doc being circulated online is an invaluable resource for all.

Guide to Allyship – an open-source guide to help you become a more thoughtful and effective ally

How To Support Black Lives in The UK – a list of resources by @perkin_amalaraj.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. If we’ve missed a resource, group, fund or organisation please let us know and we’ll add it to the list. You can get in touch with us at ben.smoke@tcolondon.com

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