Here at the Standby Line, we support all rights and equal rights for everyone. This means we support the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and we’d like to share some info for our followers in order to make their fight for equality a little bit easier. Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you.
If You Want to Contribute Financially, but You’re Broke
We get it. Sometimes we don’t have our own funds to donate to causes when we’re all trying so hard just to survive. Here are some ways you can help when you can’t donate your own money.
From Esquire: “The most ingenious that’s turned up so far is simply by watching YouTube videos. It’s simple: all the advertising revenue that a channel would get from a single video is donated to Black Lives Matter and related fundraising campaigns helping the fight for justice.
YouTuber Zoe Amira was the first to come up with the idea, filling a 45-minute video with black art and artists.” There are tons of other Black YouTubers you can find on the site as well, you just have to plug it into a search.
Just be aware, per Esquire, that “there are a few things to remember when you’re joining in with this: firstly, you need any ad-blocking plug-ins turned off, obviously. Second, don’t skip any adverts. Third, don’t just set it to replay – click on four or five other videos after the original one’s finished, then search for it again in the search bar. Don’t pause it and don’t skip through, and don’t add it to a playlist of other donating videos. All those things will make YouTube’s algorithm suspicious of spamming. Leaving a comment and a like will do a video the power of good though.”
Links we love:
⇢ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKo8OrBdLz8
⇢ Donate by Streaming or Playing Games
International, but Still Broke?
A couple of other very, very good ways of making a difference if you’re short on funds include writing to your MP about the UK’s export of rubber bullets, tear gas, and other crowd control kits to the United States – there’s a template letter HERE if you’re not sure what to write. You can just add your name and where you live at the bottom – and you can make it a regular commitment to remind your MP that you expect them to keep up the pressure after the street protests are over.
You could also volunteer with one of the many anti-racism charities in the UK, like Show Racism the Red Card, and spread the education materials of the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, which is based in Glasgow.
Links we love:
⇢ Show Racism the Red Card
⇢ Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights
⇢ Template letter to discourage violent policing tools
Things to Read/Learn & Places to Follow
First and foremost, you can direct yourself to the Black Lives Matter webpage. It has a list of chapters, resources, and tells you why Black Lives Matter. That’s just the start. You can also find a list of “Activist Shorts” and even a web series. You can shop for BLM products (shirts, masks, hats, stickers) and all proceeds go to the movement. There is a list of Global actions that have been taken for BLM, and a Black Future’s Month that features individuals. There’s a list of Arts and Culture programs to educate you further on Black Art and Culture, and, of course, news about BLM and what it’s all about. If you want to donate, the button redirects you and you can donate directly to the movement.
There’s also THIS site, short and simple and tells you what you can do right from home. It has a list of numbers you can call and text, organizations you can donate to, bail funds to donate to, podcasts to listen to, Black organizers to follow, videos to watch, petitions to sign, books, articles, and documentaries for white allies to watch, listen to, and read. Additionally, there is a list of other resources to check out such as mental health for Black people, health resources, anti-racist resources, and more.
We encourage every non-Black person to do some research on white privilege and general racism. Reading this and accepting your privilege is one of the first stepping stones. Just do a simple google search about white privilege is. This website has videos directly on it that are documentaries about Black history that you can educate yourself with. Some are full videos and some are just trailers. Under each video is a button that says “WATCH” and it will redirect you to where you can view them, and HERE you can look at stock replies for how to respond to racist remarks.
There are so many links, we barely know where to start, so here’s a list below:
Links we love:
⇢ BlackLivesMatter.com
⇢ Toolkit for TEACHING ABOUT RACISM in the Context of Health & Healthcare Disparities
⇢ Anti-Racism Tool Kit
⇢ Ally Resources for Supporters of Black Lives Matter
⇢ Donate and educate yourself: A list of ways to be a better ally
⇢ How You Can Be an Ally to the Black Lives Matter Movement
⇢ How to Respond to Common Racist Statements
⇢ How to talk to your children about protests and racism
⇢ What do ‘thug’, ‘white privilege’ and ‘ally’ mean?
⇢ Documentaries About Black History to Educate Yourself With
⇢ It’s Time for White People to Understand Their Whiteness
⇢ A Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Explains Why This Time Is Different
Petitions to Sign & Places to Donate
First up is a master list that makes it super easy to navigate what you want to do. It’s everything you need, from places to donate, petitions to sign, or other general resources, and it also has the Black Lives Matter CARRDs in a ton of different languages.
Speaking of CARRDs, we tracked down a list of Black Lives Matter pages that we really think you should check out if you’re into compilations like that. The first has a “Petitions You Probably Haven’t Signed” and “Places to Donate,” and the second offers excellent resources for protesters. We also highly recommend the link including pre-written emails to representatives demanding justice – your voice is so massively important, and we hope you’ll use it to demand attention where it’s absolutely most needed right now. In case you’re not interested in CARRD pages, we’ve also included some direct links where your signatures would be hugely beneficial to the cause.
Links we love:
⇢ #BLACKLIVESMATTER CARRD
⇢ Ways You Can Help CARRD
⇢ E-Mails for Justice CARRD
⇢ #BlackLivesMatter Petitions
⇢ #BLM Petitions
⇢ Defund the Police Petition @ BlackLivesMatter.com
⇢ Official BlackLivesMatter.com List of Petitions
⇢ Petition Links for International Allies (Google Doc)
⇢ Zip Codes for International Allies to Use When Signing Petitions
Some Helpful Auto-Fill Tips
How to Use Auto-Fill on a Mac
- Open the Safari browser.
- In the top toolbar, select “Safari” and then “Preferences.”
- Toggle over to the “Autofill” section in the pop-up.
- Click the “Edit” button next to the desired autofill category, like passwords or credit cards, to set up your autofill in Safari.
How to Use Auto-Fill on a Windows Computer
- THIS SITE teaches you on to enable Autofill on a computer using ANY internet service (Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, etc)
How to Use Auto-Fill on an iPhone
- Open up the Contacts app on your iOS device
- Tap the “plus” (+) sign in the upper right corner
- Type in your personal details
- Hit “Done” to save your contact information
- Open up Settings on your iOS device
- Tap on Safari
- Tap on AutoFill
- Toggle “Use Contact Info” to on (the toggle will be green on iOS 7)
- Tap on “My Info” and select your contact entry in your address book
How to Use Auto-Fill on an Android
- Open the Settings app. Go to System > Language & Input, and expand the Advanced settings at the bottom
- Tap Autofill Service
- On the Autofill service, select ‘Autofill with Google’
Things to Keep in Mind
⇢ If you have more than one e-mail address, you can sign petitions more than once
⇢ DO NOT donate to Change.org!
⇢ The petitions DO make a difference, so definitely continue to sign, but if you do, remember NOT TO DONATE. The donations change.org asks for do not go to the causes, they go to the site itself!
⇢ White House petitions don’t do much
⇢ They were only effective under Obama’s administration, but unfortunately, they mean nothing in Trump’s term
Direct Links for Places to Donate
If you’ve already signed all the petitions and done the free & easy donations and want to give more, we’ve compiled a (definitely not extensive) list of places you can donate directly. Please remember to do your own research and find out which organizations best fit your vision for where you’d like your money to be spent, but in the meantime, here are a couple links we’ve hunted down for you.
Also, don’t forget that there’s no need to feel like you need to send hundreds of dollars to any organization. Even $5 to an organization that really moves you is helpful! If you’re only able to donate $1 to each place, it makes a difference. Do what you can IF you can, and if you can’t, then refer to the things you can at home without spending money.
Links we love:
⇢ Ways to Help Donations CAARD
⇢ #BLM Donations that are less-circulated
⇢ Donation Sites/Pages @ BigLink
⇢ Allure.com’s list of Where to Donate
⇢ Brightest.io’s Black Lives Matter Movement Resources
⇢ AdHoc’s List of Ways to Stand in Solidarity
If You Want to Volunteer or Protest Locally
If you are interested in volunteering with an organization we first suggest you find a protest you want to attend. Next, find out who is organizing it and reach out to them. They might not need your help or they might welcome it – accept it either way. Ask what you can do and what they need. Maybe you can help pass out masks, sanitizer, water, or snacks. DO NOT decide on your own that you’re going to volunteer. You NEED to reach out to the organizers and work with them.
We also suggest doing some local research. Get on FaceBook and join town/city community forums where you can ask around about local protests happening. You can do this on Twitter/Instagram, too. Many states have Instagram pages for protests all around the state that are happening. A simple Google search will help.
Below, we’ve put together some links that’ll help you find places where your time can be spent well.
Links we love:
⇢ Find a local Black Lives Matter chapter
⇢ GoogleMaps list of George Floyd Protests
⇢ Elephrame list of protests
⇢ How to participate in BLM protests from home
Staying Safe at Protests + White Etiquette
One of the biggest and boldest ways to be an ally is to take to the streets to represent yours and your friends’ interests. We always recommend, if you’re able, to join your Black friends on the streets for the movement. If you’re capable of and interested in doing so, we’ve compiled some resources for you. (In addition: Please don’t feel guilty if you cannot march. Find your lane. It may not be this one! But find your lane and help the movement in ways that feel good to you, and that don’t make you a liability to others. Do what you can WHERE you can!)
Before you attend ANY protest, please read these articles
⇢ What to Bring, What to Do, and What to Avoid
⇢ First Aid Tips Street Medics Want You to Know
⇢ How do we know white people mean what they say?
Etiquette for White People Attending Protests
⇢ How to be a good white ally, according to activists
Safety During Protests
⇢ Amnesty International Safety Guide
⇢ How to Stay Safe While Protesting
⇢ AOC endorsed safety tips for protesting
Some Helpful Tips for Protesters Who May or May Not be White
If you feel like you cannot comply with any of the following then we recommend you do not attend a protest:
- Do not video people without their consent – if you do, please do not post on public social media, as people can be identified through these videos
- If you DO choose to share photos: take a screenshot of the photo and then post so it cannot be traced, and again, do NOT do it without consent
- Cover all tattoos and remove piercings so people are less easy to identify via photo
- White people: DO NOT EVER SPEAK OVER OR TAKE A MIC FROM A BLACK PERSON
- March, chant (when appropriate and using appropriate phrases/terms that are for everyone), hold up signs, be numbers, stand by, and, (white people:) protect Black people. That is what you are there to do. Nothing else.
- If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, it is your right to leave and take care of yourself. Don’t feel guilty for bowing out when you feel you must do so
- If you do not know what to do/say/chant – ASK a Black member to advise you about what is best to do and say and what language to use
- Do not just go to a protest to take a selfie with your sign and leave. This isn’t a trend and it isn’t Coachella; these are LIVES at stake. We do not recommend taking selfies at protests at all
- If violence starts to occur – do what you feel you can and what you feel is safe for you. Protect those who need it, get evidence on video and try to get that evidence to the victim. Get badge numbers/names and report them to superiors or state/local representatives.
- (To white people:) You are there to be an ally. Remember this. It isn’t your time or place to use your voice to preach.
