Charities
Black Lives Matte UK – GoFundMe
Black Vision Collective - a black, trans, and queer-led social justice organisation and legal fund based in Minneapolis
BTEG - National charity aiming to end racial inequality through education and employment
Colour of Change - the largest online racial justice organisation in the US, help them fight to end the war on black people in our country
Generating Genius London based Charity aiming to open doors to STEM careers for BAME students
Gofundme Page for a retreat for black survivors of domestic abuse
Gofundme page for Belly Mujinga, a ticket collector who died of COVID-19 after being spat at by a passenger
Gofundme page for Jennie Sablayan, NHS nurse
Gofundme page for Trevor Belle, a black taxi driver who died of COVID-19 after being spat at
Minnesota Freedom Fund - An organisation that pays the bail changes of those arrested during protests
Operation Black Vote - National charity which aims to increase the number of BME people who vote in the UK
Southall Black Sisters - West London based charity who, among other things, run an advice, advocacy and resource centre in West London which provides a comprehensive service to women experiencing violence and abuse and other forms of inequality
The Amos Bursary - National charity working to reduce the gap in prospects between young black people and young white people
The Bail Project - a non-profit that is trying to reduce the number of incarcerations through bail reform
The NAACP Legal Defence Fund - Supports racial justice through the legal system, education, and advocacy work.
people up through education and mentoring
100 Black Men of London - London based charity aiming to lift young black
Petitions
Justice for Tony McDade, a black trans man who was killed by police in Tallahassee
Petition for more protections for black trans women in the UK
Petition to arrest all officers involved in George Floyd’s murder
Petition to call on the UK government to condemn Trump’s response to the BLM protests
Petition to instate punishments for police officers who shoot unarmed civilians
Petition to Remove bail for Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed George Floyd
Update the GCSE English Lit reading lists to include more black authors
Call/Email MPs to question their stance on the murder of George Floyd
Look around and see if your MP has spoken out to protest the murder of George Floyd. Check Twitter, Facebook, and local news to see if they have spoken out against it. Go to https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/ to see how your MPs vote on different issues. If they haven’t spoken out against the murder of George Floyd, ask them why with this email template. You can find their email addresses at: https://members.parliament.uk/constituencies
Make sure to add your address when you send this to your MP; the spam filters on an MP’s email prevent people from emailing them without a return address. Put it at the bottom of your email that you send to them to make sure it gets through.
Dear [MP’S NAME],
My name is [YOUR NAME]. I’m a(n) [OCCUPATION] who has lived in [YOUR CONSTITUENCY] for [LENGTH OF TIME]. Over the past [X] days, the riots in Minneapolis have not only shown the world the systemic racism that is still pervasive in modern societies, it has also exposed the indifference that people in power have towards it. Many who claim to represent the people of the UK have not made any motion to show their support for black people who still suffer from the institutionalised racism that still exists in the UK. Since you are my MP, I want to ask why you have not yet taken a stance on the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Is there anything preventing you from speaking out against it? Can the people of our constituency expect to hear you speak out on this matter soon? I am expecting a detailed response to these questions.
It is easy for people in the UK to look at what happens in the US and say, “it’s not as bad in the UK, so there’s no reason to complain”. But this simply isn’t true. According to the Institute of Race Relations, police are 28x more likely to use Section 60 stop-and-search powers, where officers don’t require suspicion that a person has been involved in a crime, against black people than white people (http://www.irr.org.uk/research/statistics/criminal-justice/). On top of this, BAME people die disproportionately as a result of use of force or restraint by the police (https://www.inquest.org.uk/bame-deaths-in-police-custody). As an MP, it is your duty to serve and help the people in your constituency. And as a member of your constituency, it is my duty to ask what you’re doing to help. So, what exactly have you done to combat racism in the UK on a national and local level? Have you introduced any legislation in parliament that actively aims to either fight racism or lift people of colour out of a disadvantaged position? What measures have you taken to ensure that racism within our community isn’t allowed to thrive? I would also like detailed responses to these questions.
I want you to understand how important the issue of racism is to me. The systematic oppression of non-white people needs to be actively fought against if we as a country truly believe that all people are born equal. The inaction of politicians to fight racism is not something that any reasonable person can stand for anymore. If you set out to make a change, it can happen. But it won’t happen if you stand by and let it happen.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email. I hope you take the issues I have raised seriously. I look forward to reading your response.
Black Lives Matter.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME HERE]
[YOUR ADDRESS HERE]