Week of Why Wrap Up - Sent June 13, 2020
Dear Friends and Family,
The idea for Week of Why came about from a sense of helplessness and hopelessness that I felt during the first few days of the George Floyd protests. While watching the documentary 13th on Netflix, I was incredibly disturbed by how closely the acts of overt racism and police brutality I was seeing on the news resembled the horrific violence experienced by the black community during the Jim Crow era and civil rights movement. Despite this, I was also struck by the incredible privilege I had to be able to be feeling this way safely at home with my family, distanced from the violence and death.
While researching systemic racism, I also came to a better understanding about my place as a white person trying to be an ally and an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement. I found that some of the most beneficial things I could do are educate myself while encouraging the same for others, make donations of time, money, or supplies, attend a protest, sign petitions, or write emails to stand in solidarity and demand justice, and begin open and honest conversations about race in this country with people in my community. Week of Why was a way for me to work on many of those things at once, while sharing it all with the people I care about most.
It’s easy to feel like the work is done here and we’ve made our contribution; seven days of informational emails are over, protests are slowly dying out of the news, people are beginning to talk about other things. There is still so much progress that must be made.
Each of the organizations highlighted throughout the week serve a different purpose in the fight for racial equity. While it’s clear that there needs to be police reform and an end to racism, it can be difficult to clearly see how these things can realistically come about. Racism is being fought from a variety of angles, whether that be on the local level, providing educational and after school programs to black students in poorer communities, or at the national level, working to increase voter education and turnout. Below, I have compiled a list of all seven organizations discussed over the course of the week. I encourage you to revisit at least one of them and delve deeper into learning about their issue and what they do, signing up for their email newsletter, or providing a financial contribution.
My Block My Hood My City - Community restoration organization
“Provides underprivileged youth with an awareness of the world and opportunities beyond their neighborhood.”
Association for Black Economic Power (ABEP) - Community development institution
“Provide financial products and services to the unserved and underserved of our community through a financial cooperative rooted in a commitment to Black leadership and its origin.”
The Bail Project - National bail fund
“We look for a community of allies and supporters with a shared mission to combat mass incarceration and establish a pretrial alternative that is grounded in the presumption of innocence for all, regardless of race, income, or charge.”
Black Earth Farms Delivery Fund - Frontline fund
“Grassroots Pan African & Pan Indigenous Farming Collective growing food in the East Bay...Delivering free food to black folks that have been arrested and bailed, injured, or traumatized during Oakland uprisings.”
Woke Vote - Non-partisan political organization
“Non-partisan, non-candidate-based training and leadership development fellowship program” that “...empowers individuals to fight back against policies that are antithetical to our shared values. By meeting people where they are and teaching the fundamentals of congregation and community organizing, we are altering the political landscape as we know it.”
American Civil Liberties Union Racial Justice Program - Policy reform organization
“In pursuit of a world free of discrimination, the Racial Justice Program brings impact lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout the country, taking on cases designed to have a significant and wide-reaching effect on communities of color.”
Communities Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) - Police reform organization
“CUAPB was created to deal with police brutality in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area on an ongoing basis. We work on the day-to-day abuses as well as taking on the more extreme cases. We work to combat police brutality from many angles, including political and legislative action, education, research, and providing services and support for victims and their families.”
Please continue to get involved, get educated, and keep the fight going even when the headlines have moved on. We cannot let this be another fad that dies out without holding political officials, police, our communities, and ourselves accountable by making real change. I have found some incredible articles, books, documentaries, and speeches about a variety of aspects of systemic racism, as well as some of the more nuanced changes that activists are pushing for including defunding the police and providing reparations. As always, feel free to reply if you are interested in some recommendations, or with any questions or comments.
Once again, thank you for the incredible response to and support for Week of Why. I hope that these emails can be both a spark to ignite action as well as a reference point when the problem seems too overwhelming to know where to start.
Sincerely,
Grace Hochberg