BLM Movement: Amplify Your Voice

On May 25 of 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man living in Minneapolis was brutally murdered by a police officer, alongside 3 of his coworkers. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck, leading to a loss of air. “I can’t breathe,” he repeated until his last few seconds of life. Due to the tragic death of George Floyd and many other innocent black people over the years, a significant concern has arisen across the United States regarding racism. Not only has this deeply affected the black community, but has also been a call for action from the citizens of the United States.

It is important to take action and help in any way,no matter how big or small. Anything is better than staying silent. Through social media platforms, many have been educating themselves on what is going on, where this is happening, and how to help, however, not everyone has access to those platforms. Therefore, a list of petitions to sign, organizations to donate to, etc. have been listed below. 

We encourage you to fight the fight and take action. Each and every one of your voices need to be heard. We, as Central, as Hunterdon County, and as America, need to make a difference for the better. There are more ways to help beyond this list, but here are plenty of ways to get started:

Petitions to sign

• Justice for Floyd (change.org)
• #JusticeForFloyd (act.colorofchange.org)
• Justice for Breonna Taylor (change.org)
• Educate Children on Racism Through Schools (change.org)
•  #JusticeforBigFloyd petition (Grassroots Law Project)

Calling, Texting, and Mailing

• Text “FLOYD” to 55156
• Text “JUSTICE” to 668366
• Text “ENOUGH” To 55156
• Call Minnesota’s Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman at 612-348-5550 to request justice
• Call Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison at 651-296-3353
• Call Gov. of Minnesota Tim Walz at 651-201-3400.
• Mayor of Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser at [email protected] or 202-727-2643

• Write to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey – request justice, accountability and/or policing changes
• Write to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – request justice, accountability and/or policing changes
• Write to or call Minneapolis District Attorney, Mike Freeman (612) 348-5550 or [email protected]
• Leave a message for Louisville Mayor and demand justice for Breonna Taylor 502-574-2003

Donating

• Official George Floyd Memorial Fund (gofundme.com)
• I Run With Maud fundraiser (gofundme.com)
• Justice for Breonna Taylor (official)(#BREEWAYY) (gofundme.com)
• Black Lives Matter
• Unicorn Riot
• The Bail Project
• Black and Brown Founder
• Black Visions Collective
• Campaign Zero
• National Bail Out
• Reclaim The Block
• The Innocent Project

Documentaries, Movies, and TV Shows

• 13th (Netflix)
• See You Yesterday (Netflix)
• If Beale Street Could Talk (Hulu)
• The Hate You Give (Hulu)
• American Son (Netflix)
• Dear White People (Netflix)
• When They See Us (Netflix)
• Clemency
• Black Power MixTape
• Selma
• I Am Not Your Negro
• Hidden Figures

Organizations To Follow On Instagram

• @blmhunterdon
• @blmhunterdoncounty
• @blklivesmatter
• @shaunking
• @rachel.cargle
• @thedailyshow
• @blackandembodied
• @laylafsaad
• @equalitylabs
• @theconsciouskid
• @homefromcollege
• @civilrightsorg
• @showingupforracialinjustice
• @colorofchange

Protests In Hunterdon County

• Clinton Peaceful Protest — June 4
• Flemington Peaceful Protest — June 6

Podcasts

• Seeing White
• 1919 – NY Times
• About Race
• Pod Save The People (Crooked Media)
• Code Switch
• The Diversity Gap
• Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
• Pod for the Cause
• Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
• It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders
• Truth Be Told

Young Adult/Adult Books

• The Hate You Give – Angie Thomas
• So you Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
• The Fire This Time – Jesmyn Ward
• How to be an Anti-Racist – Ibram X. Kendi
• The Color of Law – Richard Rothstein
• Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
• When They Call You a Terrorist’ by Patrisse Cullors & Asha Bandele
• White Fragility -Robin DiAngelo
• Stay Woke – Tehama Lopez Bunyasi & Candis Watts Smith
• The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea – Christopher J. Lebron
• Me and White Supremacy – Layla Saad & Robin DiAngelo

Children’s Books

• Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins – Carole Boston Weatherford
• Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom – Virginia Hamilton
• Carter Reads the Newspaper – Deborah Hopkinson
• We March – Shane W. Evans
• Hands Up! – Breanna J. McDaniel

Black-Owned Small Business That You Can Support From Anywhere (Instagram accounts — but most have websites as well)

• @kncbeauty (cosmetics)
• @braveandkindbooks (kids)
• @ohhappydani (art)
• @solonoir (skincare)
• @thirdcrown (jewelry)
• @golde (food/drink)
• @hanifa (fashion/accessories)
• @partakefoods (food/drink)
• @effiespaper (lifestyle) 
• @weardiop (fashion/accessories)
• @thelitbar (bookstore)
• @alilscribble (art)
• @helloyowie (lifestyle)
• @ozzieolive (kids)

Black-Owned Eateries Near You

• The Kombucha Bar – Flemington
• Carol’s Creative Chocolatez – Somerville

Other Ways To Take Action

• Recognize your privilege
• Be willing to be uncomfortable 
• Reach out to loved ones who are strongly affected by this
• Start a conversation at the dinner table
• Share your knowledge with others
• Stand up to racist jokes, comments, and actions