How to support Black Lives Matter, wherever you are

A number of fundraisers have been created to support Daunte Wright's family, including his girlfriend and one-year-old son. 

Kelly Bryant, Wright's aunt, created a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs. 

The Minneapolis-based business Holistic Heaux has been coordinating donations for Chyna, the mother of Daunte's son. They've listed multiple ways that you can donate directly to her on Instagram. 

You can also follow mutual aide pages on Instagram and donate when and what you can directly to families who are suffering from institutional racism, housing insecurity and the Covid-19 pandemic. 

There are tons of worthy organizations bailing out protestors who have been arrested and supporting the wider movement for social justice. Instead of donating every time there's a tragedy, set up monthly donations so these organizations can continue their work year-round. 

Here are some U.S. organisations that you can fund right now to support Black people and help the fight against racism.

Black Lives Matter

Black Visions Collective

Reclaim the Block

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

American Civil Liberties Union

National Bail Fund Network or local bail funds across the US

National Police Accountability Project

Know Your Rights Camp

We’ve also rounded up local initiatives based in Los Angeles, NYC and Chicago.

Beyond the USA, there are plenty of organisations campaigning against racism around the world. In the UK, you could donate to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust or Stand Up To Racism, campaigning for racial inequality, or the Green & Black Cross, which provides legal support to protestors and activists. We’ve rounded up some anti-racist charities and organisations doing amazing work in London.

Throughout history, public protests have been crucial to the visibility and success of civil rights campaigns—from women winning the vote to LGBTQ+ rights.

In solidarity with the ongoing protests in Minneapolis, smaller demonstrations were held in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Portland, Kansas City, and Omaha this week with additional protests planned in Dallas and Atlanta. 

If you are going to make your voice heard, especially in the U.S., here’s what you need to know before you go out to protest. We’ve also asked an expert how to protest while staying physically distant from others. And don't forget your mask (even if you're vaccinated!). 

Wherever you are, you can support political movements and parties that are campaigning against racism.

In the U.S., support the fight against a growing number of voter supression bills being passed by state legislators and advocate for mental health intervention instead of police response. You can also use this tool to find and contact your local congressional representative.

In the UK, you can find out your local MP’s record on racial issues using the TheyWorkForYou website. It also offers an easy, free way to contact your MP so you can ask them to take action.

Volunteering to register voters is another great way to support the greater movement. 

Social media can be an effective way for people all over the world to show support and raise their friends’ and followers’ awareness of the anti-racist movement, but don't fall into the practice of performative activism. Feel free to post links to resources or fundraisers, state your support and solidarity, and share anything that you’ve found helpful, but don't forget to prioritise Black voices and do the hard work of making your world more anti-racist in real life. 

If you’re not Black, one of the most important things you can do is to learn something about the situation. Check out the many links being posted on social media about police brutality, racial inequality and historical injustice in the USA, the UK and other countries. As well as speaking out, take some time to listen and absorb the stories and messages coming from the Black community.

(Just one thing: unless they offer, please don’t ask your Black friends or people you follow on social media to spend their time helping you learn about this stuff. There are plenty of resources out there - Google is your friend.) 

Think about your own prejudices too – what your emotional responses are to the current protests, and how the ways you’ve learned to behave over the years might affect how you treat the Black people in your life.

Not sure where to start? We asked NYC’s top black-owned bookshops for their anti-racist reading recommendations. If you take up their suggestions then please purchase from them, rather than major retailers.  In fact, here are nine more Black-owned bookstores in the USA we love (and they even state their favorite books by Black authors). 

And if you’re in the UK, you can order from these Black-owned bookshops in London, many of whom are making suggestions on social media.

If you’ve got kids, think how you could raise them to be anti-racist: here are four children’s books celebrating racial diversity and inclusion, and here are some tips and resources to help you talk to your kids about race, justice and equality.

Becoming more politically active can take as little as one minute a day. The ACLU website offers a handful of quick ways to participate on its site as well as some more involved options, like making phone calls or texts on behalf of the organization's causes. 

You can also sign online petitions, like this one demanding justic for Daunte Wright. 

If you want to help people at an individual level, the best way to start is by supporting Black people’s creative and business endeavours. Employ and promote Black people; buy their books, music or films; donate to their Patreon pages; amplify their voices by sharing or retweeting; and patronise their shops, restaurants, cafés or bars.

We have handy guides to Black-owned businesses in NYC, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and London. There’s also an app to help you find Black-owned restaurants in 13 U.S. cities. 

There will always be new ways that you can help. Keep your ears open and let Black people guide your actions.

At Time Out, we’ll also continue to listen to the Black community. You can contact us about this page and our wider coverage using the form below.