We have all witnessed the senseless death of George Floyd and many other black Americans. And like you, we’re angry. We understand the rage and desperation — and the desire to do something in this moment.
As we follow the news and hear so many powerful stories about peoples’ experiences with racism, we believe this is a time of real change. These peaceful protests around the world are having an impact, and there’s an evolution that is happening right before our eyes.
At Girls in Tech, we’re committed to fighting for justice, equity and inclusion. There’s a lot of work to be done, and we can all do something to make a difference now — whether that’s through allyships; donations to causes and organizations; reading/sharing articles, podcasts, and videos on race relations, unconscious bias and diversity and inclusion education; partnerships to provide STEM education; diversifying recruitment efforts, and highlighting powerful stories.
Here are just some of the ways you can support your community and encourage others to do the same.
Donate and Volunteer:
- Black Futures Lab
- Center for Policing Equity
- Common Future
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Know Your Rights Camp
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- National Black Justice Coalition
- The Bail Project
- The Movement for Black Lives
- Black Girls Code
- Marsha P. Johnson Institute
- East Point Peace Org
- The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
- Coalition for Police Accountability
- Anti Police Terror Project
- Communities United Against Police Brutality
Community enrichment organizations: Donations will go toward arts, technical, or other programs for black and brown people.
Policy reform organizations: Donations will go toward legislative efforts to overturn systemically racist policies at either national, state, or local levels.
Megafunds: Single donations will be split between multiple organizations, with the ability to adjust what goes where.
Articles:
- Fighting the racism that killed George Floyd requires more than hashtags by Narine Malik, The Guardian (June 2, 2020)
- First Listen, Then Learn, Forbes (June 2, 2020)
- How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change by Barack Obama (June 1, 2020)
- The 1619 Project , The New York Times Magazine
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
Podcasts:
Books:
- When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Asha Bandele, Angela Y. Davis (Foreword)
- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
- Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States, edited by Joe Macaré, Maya Schenwar, and Alana Yu-lan Price
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson
- Not Quite Not White: Losing and Finding Race in America by Sharmila Sen
- On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay Mckesson
- I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
- This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins
- We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang
- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
- The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
- Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Indeed, while we have reason to be optimistic in light of the protests, there is a lot of work still to do in the fight against racism. We know this is an important topic for our members, and I wanted to bring us together today to begin an open dialogue as an organization so that we can play an active role in creating solutions.