When we are faced with grief and the complex emotions that accompany it, our human instinct is to band together, to remember our losses, to foster community, safety, and love. How can we do this during a pandemic? Some of us have hung Black Lives Matter signs on our homes and donated money and resources. Some of us have put our bodies in very real danger of COVID-19 and police violence to voice the sorrow and outrage caused by the police killing of George Floyd.
We want to embrace our community here at Pacific Oaks. We want the ritual of remembrance, grief, intimacy, and comfort that we are due. Again we ask, how can we do this during a pandemic? How can we remember the dead and celebrate the people around the entire world who have risen up against this injustice?
We compiled two lists. Both are incomplete. Both are unimaginably long. One contains the names of black men and women who have died at the hands of police in the United States. There is no official nationwide tracking of police violence in this country. As of this writing on June 17, we found the names of 2,204 black people that police have killed between 2013 and 2020.
The other list features the cities and towns across the world where protests have occurred in response to the killing of George Floyd and the legacy of police violence against blacks. We found 646 places where people have stood up for black lives since May 25, 2020, the day George Floyd was killed.
These lists are incomplete, yet they are long. They are only fragments of the grief and the power that lay behind and before us. We have placed them in our shared digital space, the place our community gathers during this pandemic. Join us and say their names.
Resources for Educating, Organizing, Finding Help, and Giving Help
Master List of Black Revolutionary Readings
https://bit.ly/3hJzbNs
Organizing Resources on Aspects and Elements of Social Change
https://bit.ly/37LdrfF
Black Lives Matter
The official #BlackLivesMatter Global Network builds power to bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe.
https://blacklivesmatter.com/
Therapy for Black Girls
The mission of Therapy for Black Girls is to sustain and grow an engaged community centered on the mental health needs of Black women and girls.
https://therapyforblackgirls.com/
Black Mama’s Bail Outs
The National Bail Out collective is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration.
https://nationalbailout.org/black-mamas-bail-out/
Support NAACP Empowerment Programs
NAACP Empowerment Programs engages primarily in training, education, and advocacy at the national and local levels.
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-ep-2020
Campaign for Black Male Achievement
CBMA nurtures a vibrant network of leaders and organizations working on the ground to drive positive outcomes for Black men and boys
https://blackmaleachievement.org/
Black Trans Advocacy
Improving the black trans human experience by overcoming violence and injustice in the world through the power, value, and love of all people.
https://blacktrans.org
Transgender Law Center
The largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people.
https://transgenderlawcenter.org
Center for Black Equity
The national leader in connecting members of the Black LGBTQIA+ community with information and resources to educate, engage and empower their fight for equity and access.
https://centerforblackequity.org
What Age Should Children Learn about Racism?
Dr. Donald Grant’s Video Interview on Good Morning America
https://gma.abc/3egpDaG
#KidLit4BlackLives Broadcast recording on YouTube
https://bit.ly/3eesBN9
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
