Black Lives Matter and the Power of Your Votes
Voting is crucial, now more than ever. Supplement on-the-ground efforts against injustice by voting for the candidates you believe can create meaningful change. Resources for activating, including through voting, can be found below.
For those of us in eight states (IN, IA, MD, MT, NM, PA, SD, and RI) and the District of Columbia, it’s both #blackouttuesday and Primary Day: two opportunities to work for the meaningful change that is so urgently needed in every corner of our country. The events of the past week have reminded us yet again that we live in a system designed to marginalize, oppress, and murder Black and brown bodies and voices. The system fails not just George Floyd, not just Breonna Taylor, not just Tony McDade, but every Black American, every person of color, and all of us who believe that everyone deserves life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
But the system does not have to be permanent, and hope is not lost. The possibility of a just and equitable society is underscored by the thousands, perhaps millions, of Americans willing to fight for one this week by protesting, calling, and/or donating. (Resources on how to get involved can be found below.) Today, on #blackouttuesday and Primary Day, we can supplement these efforts by voting.
Now is the time for a new generation of changemakers to come together to speak out against injustice and elect people who share our vision for America. If those people do not come forth, it is time for us to run for office ourselves. Law enforcement, criminal justice systems, and negative racial gerrymandering are shaped and governed in large part by elected officials. While many of them fail to implement or actively work against the changes we want to see, we have the opportunity to hold those in power accountable. Filling their seats with people committed to our principles and our policies will not resolve the blight of racist dehumanization on our nation, nor will it undo the indelible effects of centuries of anti-Black policies and attitudes that we too often fail to acknowledge. But voting for the individuals most ready, willing, and able to do better is a critical step toward making sure that everyone, regardless of race or economic status, has just representation in our democracy.
Our voices are powerful. We have an obligation to use them however we can, be it on the streets of our cities (behind a mask, of course) or at the ballot box.
#blacklivesmatter #blackouttuesday
—New Voters
Resources:
Get to know your candidates: ballotpedia.org, Vote411.org, seventy.org (PA)
Support Black Lives Matter (courtesy of UC San Diego): click here
Sign petitions for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade: Stand with Breonna, Stand with Tony, Stand with George
Donate to bail funds by state: www.bailproject.org
Educate yourself: bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
Learn more about racial gerrymandering: https://www.vox.com/2014/8/5/17991986/racial-gerrymandering
Black mental health resources: Harriet’s Apothecary, The Unplug Collective , Black Virtual Therapist Network, “Therapy for Black Girls” The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation
Mental health resources for all: Frequency Mind