There’s a lot of work to do, witches. Reps to call, money to donate, streets to hit. And also spells to cast: protection for protesters, abundance for bail funds, hexes for a system designed to capture and kill Black folks. We have plenty of information about all that, which we’re continuing to share at @witchthevote on Instagram.
But first: listen to Black folks.
Those of us who have had the privilege our whole lives of ignoring Black Liberation, or seeing it as activism to be engaged with when convenient, are just now jumping into a movement that started long, LONG before we got #woke. Black educators and experts did not and do not work their whole lives so a bunch of white kids can recklessly endanger more Black lives by sharing uncensored protest pictures or instigating violence. Share information, share footage of police, and listen to Black leaders. Take your cues from them, not your own anger. Not even from us, really. Rachel Cargle, Layla Saad, and Monique Melton are just a few educators generously sharing resources. We’re trying to follow and share and promote as many as possible on Instagram, and we beg you to poke through our “following” list to find more. Spend real study time on this.
If you’re taking to the streets, check out accounts like @frontlinemedics who are sharing effectiveness and safety tips for protesters. Yes, use your white body to shield Black and Brown ones, but don’t take it upon yourself to escalate. It won’t be just you who pays for it.
More action steps for those who can’t be out in the crowds:
-Keep donating to the National Bailout fund or a local one (like this one for Massachusetts). Remember to check your sources, and then check again until you’re absolutely positive you’re donating to a real fund who will distribute money to Black and Brown protestors. There are frauds out there just trying to make a quick buck, and there are also funds aimed at supporting the white supremacists who are retaliating. Be fucking careful.
-Call the House of Representatives and your reps and press them to vote on the Resolution Condemning Police Brutality. No, we can’t legislate all the way out of this. But while we’re still operating under this system, this is what Black leaders in Congress are asking us to do, and it’s not hard. Do it.
-Sign the petition to #defundthepolice. Money rules the US, so depriving the police of funding is the easiest way to abolish the police state. Again, one petition will not get us out of this, but it can wake more people up to the possibility and get them fighting for it.
-Sort out your thoughts. Breathe. Figure out what you’re best-suited to offer: spending your day making phone calls and sending emails? Offering first-aid to protestors hurt by police? Offering your goods or services in exchange for donations? There is so much to do right now, and it will take EVERYONE acting in whatever ways they can. Doing nothing is not an option. Doing one thing and calling it a day is not an option. Black folks don’t get to choose whether or not they have the bandwidth to continue this fight, so we absolutely shouldn’t either.
