Allyship Check-In No 25

Last Updated on April 22, 2022 by ThoughtsStained

Welcome to the latest in my Allyship Check-In series! This series shares resources to help each of us live more antiracist lives. It contains articles, blog posts, multimedia, book recommendations, petitions and more. These resources are curated by my own research and by sharing resources I’ve learned through, from various organizations, like: Anti-Racist Daily, Prism, The 19th and more. I hope this Allyship Check-In allows you to find something below that speaks to you!

Please consider supporting these organizations above! While I am simply linking up and sharing articles, they are the ones doing the work: the research, the reporting, the writing. Let’s support their work so they can continue to do it.

Table of Contents

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Series Background

I started this “series” of blog posts in 2020 to share more resources to help with each of our own anti-racist journeys. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that many of the resources I’m linking down below come from the hard work of those on the Anti-Racist Daily team (the ARD) , to which I subscribe for daily email updates. Many of the readings, actions and donation links come from what I learn from their articles. As such, I have become a monthly Patreon donor, because you need to pay BIPOC people for the work they do in helping dismantle racism, not just take what you can for free. I hope you consider subscribing and supporting them, too, especially if you are a white reader.

Like I mentioned before, while a lot of these resources are tied and focused to the Black Lives Matter movement, I have started to incorporate other resources about more global events, as well.

Please keep the comments kind and constructive–though, please never hesitate to call me out if I’ve misstepped, if you are comfortable doing that emotional labor you shouldn’t have to do in the first place. I appreciate your assistance in helping me learn and continue to grow into the actual ally I want to be.

Last caveat: I listed a bunch of resources, because I hope you will click on the links and listen to the BIPOC voices who are speaking up, instead of hearing my take. I’m using this as a space to amplify their voices–not add my own commentary to the mix.

Staying Informed

This month’s Allyship Check-in has a ton of reading material. Once again, a lot of this is focused on the cruel attacks against pregnant people seeking abortions; the fight against the current attacks on our education system (and the subsequent banning of BIPOC and queer-focused books); and difficult work cultures, just to highlight a few.

Read on to discover more about all the above topics and more!

Readings

Videos, Podcasts and Media

I’m trying to include more multimedia content within each Allyship Check-In, since I know not everyone enjoys articles like I do! In particular, I really enjoyed finding content that fights back against fatphobia, which is entrenched in a racist history.

Multimedia

“Black Trans and Queer Land 2: Land Space Liberation Ecology,” hosted on YouTube via M4BL
Listen to the Unsolicited: Fatties Talk Back podcast, featuring fat activists talking about fatphobia and how it shows up in their lives.
Check out the “Profiles on Fatness” series on YouTube, hosted by comedian and writer Desiree Burch
Watch this TedTalk on “What it takes to be racially literate,” by student activists Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo
Learn more about police foundations and how they are funded, presented by Color of Change

Getting Engaged

Petitions

Below is a selection of petitions that you can sign to help support one another. We’re doing a lot of fighting against corporations like Am*zon this month, alongside continuing to advocate for the elimiation of student loan debt.

Check out the petitions below to learn more. And get your virtual pens ready!

Sign Your Name In Support of:

Pledge to refuse jobs at Am*zon or Goo*le for their role in profiting off of Israeli apartheid and violence against Palestinian peoples
Pass the adoptee citizenship act
Change Am*zon’s return policies for completed E-books to protect authors from theft
Tell Congress to support key housing measures in the Reconciliation Bill
Oppose GOP-led efforts to create dangerous election police forces
Tell President Biden to advance racial equity and eliminate student loan debt!
Mr. President: keep “Your Word as a Biden” and expunge marijuana records
Sign against the funding and functioning of police foundations

Take Action

On top of learning and signing petitions, I always want to include ways within my Allyship Check-In to get even further engaged. These are things like: supporting BIPOC creators by checking out their websites, joining a banned book club or finding local (and national) events to become a part of.

I hope you’re able to find ways to deepen your involvement and support those groups, people and initiatives below already doing this work!

Get Engaged

Take action against seven different states fighting against trans youth
Join the Banned Books Book Club
Check out Layla F. Saad’s new website, Become a Good Ancestor
Look at the 10 banned books politicians don’t want you to read, curated by the ACLU
Explore the events of Black Maternal Health Week, hosted by Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA)
Check out Equality Texas’ upcoming May events
Spread the word for HBCU recent grads to apply for a 19th News Fellowship
Use Noise For Now’s resources page to help fight against abortion legislation or support their merch to help fund protests and travel
Support a new, non-profit organization, Haus of McCoy, for the QTPOC+ community.
Explore Resource Generation, who “envisions a world in which all communities are powerful, healthy, and living in alignment with the planet. A world that is racially and economically just in which wealth, land and power are shared.”
Check out Survivor’s Sanctuary, a “self-guided digital platform” designed to meet assault survivors where they are, created by me too.
Sign up to participate in the National Antiracist Book Festival, hosted by Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.
Support the scientist rebellion fighting against climate change and government inaction on declaring a climate emergency.

Donate

As always, I like to highlight different organizations, movements and areas to support financially in each Allyship Check-in, if you’re able. Also, I decided, after getting an unexpected raise at work and redoing my finances, to commit to $20 a month to a different organization, for as long as it’s feasibly possible for me.

This month, in honor of the holy month of Ramadan, I donated to Project Rozana. Project Rozana “seeks to build bridges to better understanding between Israelis and Palestinians through health,” training, transportation and treatment.

Support Financially

Disabled Black Lives Matter, part of the Alliance for Inclusive Education’s (ALLFIE) campaign to highlight and support disabled Black persons and voices in the Black Lives Matter fight
Our Spot KC: “is a hub for resources that support, advance and equip LGBTQ+ individuals to ensure sustainability and improvement in and of the community”
Read for Pixels 2022: a nonprofit organization working to stop violence against women.
Abortion Within Reach: a quartet of coalitions fighting for abortion and reproductive rights
Haus of McCoy: The Haus of McCoy is a community hub for queer and trans youth of Lawrence, Kansas.

In Sum

Thank you for reading and engaging with this latest Allyship Check-In post! I hope you learned something new, deepened your knowledge about important issues and found different ways to get involved: whether it’s through educating yourself, supporting important work financially or supporting individuals in their efforts by sharing their content.

I know it can seem daunting, with all of the hate and oppression currently going on in the world. But together, we can conquer it. I know we can.