Below are some suggestions on actions you can take in response to the horrific murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
- Support Black people. But if you are a white person, realize that they don’t need to be taking care of us at this moment. Don’t lay your own heartache and anger on top of theirs. Here are some Vermont-based Black-led groups:
- Support the local anti-racist movement
- Support the national anti-racist movement and our neighbors in Minneapolis, Louisville, Atlanta, New York, and elsewhere. Here are some groups suggested by friends:
- Minnesota Freedom Fund
- Dismantling Racism
- Black Lives Matter
- Read and learn about the historical causes of structural racism and white supremacy and what you can do about it. Vermont Humanities has prioritized presenting African American scholars and writers on these themes for several years. Here are books by authors that we’ve presented. (The links go to Indie Bound; please shop your local bookstore).
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
- Black is the Body by UVM English professor Emily Bernard
- The Hate U Give by Angie C. Thomas, Vermont Reads 2020
- On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by DeRay McKesson
- Take action. Write letters, join a protest, send supplies to our neighbors who need them, talk with your kids or your parents, VOTE. We won’t tell you how to take action – you have to decide what’s right for you. But, please, we can all do something. Here’s a good list of possible actions, it’s geared towards white folks but it’s relevant for everyone.
Suggestions from readers
Film Screenings
Recommended by the Vermont International Film Festival
- America Street
- Ella Fitzgerald, “Just One of Those Things” (opening June 26)
- The Last Tree (opening June 26)
- Rest in Power, The Trayvon Martin Story
