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Resource Document 1. “Unarmed. And dead. TRAYVON MARTIN (Walking home with iced tea and Skittles. Shot by George Zinneman, who was found not guilty.) KEITH SCOTT (Sitting in car, reading. Shot by police officer, who was not charged.) ATATIANA JEFFERSON (Looking out her window, shot by police officer, who is still under indictment for murder.) JONATHAN FERRELL (Asking for help after auto accident. Shot twelve times by police, case ended in mistrial.) JORDAN EDWARDS (Riding in a car. Shot in the back of the head by police officer, who was found guilty of murder.) STEPHON CLARK (Holdng a cel phone. Shot 8 times, 6 in the back. Officers not charged.) AMADOU DIALLO (While taking out wallet, officers fired 41 shots by four officers, who were all acquitted.) RENISHA MCBRIDE (Auto accident, knocked on door for help. Homeowner was found guilty of second-degree murder.) TAMIR RICE (Playing with toy gun, shot by police officer arriving on scene. Officer was not charged. SEAN BELL (Hosting a bachelor party, 50 rounds fired by police officers, who were found not guilty of charges.) WALTER SCOTT (Pulled over for brake light, shot in the back by police officer, who pleaded guilty to civil rights violations.) PHILANDO CASTILE (Pulled over in car, told officer he had a legally registered weapon in car. Officer acquitted of all charges.) AIYANA JONES (Sleeping, accidentally shot by officer in a raid on wrong apartment. Officer cleared of all charges.) TERRENCE CRUTCHER (Disabled vehicle, shot by police officer, who was found not guilty of manslaughter.) ALTON STERLING (Selling CDs, shot at close range while being arrested. No charges filed.) FREDDIE GRAY (Beaten to death by officers while being transported in police van. All officers involved were acquitted.) JOHN CRAWFORD (Shopping at WalMart, holding a BB gun on sale, police officer was not charged.) MICHAEL BROWN (Shot by twelve times by officer, including in the back. No charges filed.) JORDAN DAVIS (Killed because he was playing loud music. Shooter found guilty of first-degree murder.) SANDRA BLAND (Pulled over for traffic ticket, tasered and arrested. Suspicious “suicide” while in jail. No charges.) BOTHAM JEAN (Shot at home, which police officer mistook for her own. Officer found guilty of murder.) OSCAR GRANT (Handcuffed and face-down, officer shot him in the back. Officer found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.) COREY JONES (Waiting by his disabled vehicle, was shot three times by police officer, who was found guilty of murder.) AHMAUD AUBREY (Jogging, shot by two men who claimed they suspected him of burglaries. Both men charged with murder and aggravated assault” Chyna Smith 2. https://www.vice.com/amp/en_uk/article/n7wbyw/george-floyd-uk-state-racism?__twitter_impres sion=true 3. Wise words from a fellow artist (actress): BLACK LIVES MATTER. Period. NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE. Silence is complicity- white privilege does not mean you are racist, it doesn’t mean your life hasn’t been met with hardship- it simply means your skin colour isn’t a factor making your life harder. You are the dominant representation across the world. You have not been oppressed as a result of your pigment. It’s not enough to be non-racist and think that’s enough. We must be anti-racist. Call it out. Take action. It starts with empathy- imagine your skin tone costing you freedom, affording you suspicious looks, feeling deflated and less than because you are wiped out of history books, media and news reports that endorse systemic racist patterns. There are no excuses in this day and age- we are living in the most intelligent age possible; we have access to information at our fingertips. We need allies, we need the voices of those who have always occupied the most power. Black voices are censored, devalued and ignored. Silence is complicity. It’s disappointing to see the amount of people who will defend themselves and say ‘I’m not racist I have a black friend’ and blind themselves to a pattern of genocide. Quite often I’ve been the token ‘person of colour’ friend people love to use as their defence. You don’t get to use me or anyone else of colour and act like that’s enough. It’s not enough. Speak up. Take action. We need white allies. I absolutely have light skin privilege and I’ve educated myself on what that means for myself and the world I live in. I will never experience the same struggle but I can EMPATHISE, SPEAK OUT and CALL FOR CHANGE. My solidarity is with other brothers and sisters subject to racial profiling, bias, prejudice, discrimination and COLD BLOODED MURDER. In the last few weeks I have had someone complain to be about the “coloured” neighbours- to me A PERSON OF COLOUR (??!!), saw and continue to see people referring to a successful business run by an Asian family as the “p*** shop”, heard people try and impersonate how a different culture communicates and perhaps worst of all-when police brutality is mentioned- “awful isn’t it? Oh well what can you do?” THATS IT?!!!! If you are ok with the system as it is- If you sit well in a pattern built and thriving on oppression... question your stance on racism... truly. IT STARTS HERE. Casual racism is everywhere around us. It’s not an issue exclusive to the US. It’s on our door steps. It starts with a casual racial slur and ends with a senseless murder of a marginalised person. To all those speaking out- thank you! To all those not- why? And DULY FUCKING NOTED. 4. Thanks Yuki Ellias we must remember this. Even if our work isn’t always about difficult things, we must not look away. No one should look away. (Written by me) I was asked only yesterday if I thought artists should be making political work. I can’t speak for what others should and shouldn’t make as artists. But I know for myself as a person of colour living in the UK I don’t have the choice to not be political. Waking up and making art is a political action when u work in an underrepresented field and demographic. But more than that I don’t want to turn away and be in a bubble. I feel a responsibility to hold my eyes open to the world and all it’s difficultly as well as beauty. And I am compelled to keep doing so to remain connected to something bigger than myself. As an artist I never want to be lost in an indulgent bubble (even in the name of beauty, escapism and respite). And it’s so easy for that to happen. And I do think you can dive into your art and be lost but not be there forever and continuously. For me art is about life. All of life. So I try to be aware as best I can. it’s an ongoing process and you can’t rest. But that’s ok. ❤ #justiceforgeorgefloyd #blacklivesmatter #knowyourprivilege #racism #speakout 5. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mo bilebasic 6. https://youtu.be/v4amCfVbA_c 7. 8. 9. https://www.londonbipandas.com/blog/all-the-anti-racism-resources-we-could-find?fbclid=IwAR3 uJowfPnBNmbsAntP42Y6GHVj8XeIh1WQzEu1J1fRt9fNliMUYUzcEyQM 10. https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies 11. Written by Two Brown Girls It has been a week since the brutal and senseless murder of George Floyd. Alongside several truths being highlighted once again, such as the deep seated racism, injustice and prejudice toward the black community, it has become even MORE evident that our own community have a lot of work, education and unlearning to do so that so we can become strong allies and supporters of the black community. There is so much deep-rooted and frighteningly hidden racism embedded not only in our families and culture but also within ourselves. We must unlearn these behaviours and attitudes because they are costing black people their dignity, humanity and their LIVES. Here are some links to signpost you toward engaging with and supporting the #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement. Some are educational resources, and others are links to donate to help the family of George Floyd and relevant organisations. DONATE: (1) Contribute toward funeral costs and support the family of George Floyd: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_ca mpaign=m_pd+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR2N1FZQzLGCU8HqP4--B5wwvibgaDQqdu6plaF3GX8 9hIAcj0-YqW5Yzts (2) Donate toward the Ahmaud Arbery fund, a 25 year old boy who was chased and shot senselessly this February: https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud?pc=tw_social&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium= social&utm_campaign=bcgfm_tw_fund_i-run-with-maud (3) Support the #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019 EDUCATE: (1) READ: a comprehensive folder compiled by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan including many resources on unlearning anti-blackness in South Asian communities. Also, follow @Southasians4blacklives on Instagram to view and share important infographics. (2) Check out this list of children's books with focusing on supporting conversations around race, resistance and prejudice: https://www.embracerace.org/resources/26-childrens-books-to-support-conversations-on-race-r acism-resistance?fbclid=IwAR0uXdbWUns90rpCZIlm-P5Ja_YWlTfhG40ecj-OQvWMx6Wl5XHD Y74TTUM (3) A compendious guide filled with links and PDFs to educate you from a guide on how to discuss anti-blackness at home, to articles about racial justice, the myth of reverse racism and many more: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#educate CHANGE: (1) Sign this petition to get ALL of the officers involved in the senseless murder of George Floyd charged. https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforfloyd_george_floyd_minneapolis (2) Sign the petition to DEFUND the police: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/2005_email_blm_defund ------ There are thousands of important links, petitions and funds we can all collectively support, and this is by no means a complete list.
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