Young people experiencing homelessness, who are disproportionately Black, Brown, and LGBTQ, regularly experience violence at the hands of the police.
Show and prove that Black lives matter.
Anti-Blackness afflicts every aspect of our society and contributes to systemic oppression and violence against Black people and communities. Time and time again throughout our history, the United States criminal legal system has demonstrated a deep sickness of racism, which we are again witnessing. In times of crisis, racial equity tends to become a mantle for many to pick up and put down. For the sake of Black life, we cannot continue that trend. For as long as this injustice exists, we must remain committed to seeking justice and struggling together toward the complete liberation of Black people.
Read True Colors United's full statement here.
We'll be updating this page regularly with resources and action items for folks working in the field, advocates making a difference, and young people looking for help.
Thank you to Soho Shakes for supporting this important work.
What are you looking for?
Get the support you need.
Here are some resources we recommend.
The Trevor Project‘s crisis counselors are trained and always available to support the unique needs of Black LGBTQ young people, 24/7 and for free.
BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective) is a collective of advocates, yoga teachers, artists, therapists, lawyers, religious leaders, teachers, psychologists and activists committed to the emotional/mental health and healing of Black communities.
The National Queer and Trans Therapist of Color Network is a healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color.
Consult the BYP100 Healing & Safety Manual for Black Organizers, Activist, and Organizations
that are interested in incorporating politicized healing and/or increasing the healing
capacity of their organization
Here are 60 Digital Resources for Mental Health compiled by the Social Work License Map.
Get informed on your rights and the movement for Black lives.
Here are some resources we recommend.
Are you new to all this, but not sure where to start? Check out these links:
Recommended reading:
- Fresno County's Equity Foundational Workshop: Pre-work, Homework & Suggested Resources for Further Learning
- Pushing Through: Finding the Light in Every Lesson
- "Nicole Vick has spent the last fifteen years providing tools and strategies to stakeholders, community-based organizations, students, and residents to improve health and prevent disease in some of Los Angeles County’s most underserved communities."
- Transforming Historical Harms - Learn how historical harms, which are current challenges in our lives and communities, are rooted in large-scale historical traumas... and ways to heal and overcome.
- Confronting Prejudice: How to Protect Yourself and Help Others - published by Pepperdine University's online Master of Psychology program
- Learn about the prevalence of prejudice and implicit bias in society, including information about what marginalized groups are most likely to be harmed by prejudice. The resource features information about how one can be an ally and an advocate for change, as well as how people experiencing discrimination can build resilience against these types of behaviors.
Resources for Black people, specifically:
- Protect Your Energy: Canned responses for when calling in Black is not enough.
- "The most important thing for all Black people to do right now is to protect our energy, and pour into ourselves and our communities. Not educating folks who don't get it." Use this resource to help you protect your energy and use it towards the movement.
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44 Mental Health Resources for Black People Trying to Survive in This Country
- 8 Mental Health Resources for People of Color Struggling Right Now
Resources for non-Black people, specifically:
- 6 Ways Asian Americans Cn Tackle Anti-Black Racism in Their Families
- Asian-American Racial Justice Toolkit
- Anti-racism resources for white people.
Resources on police violence:
Get engaged in the movement for Black lives.
Here's what you can do right now to help.
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- Redistribute resources to support Black trans liberation and survival!
- Here are some other ways to donate in support of Black Lives.
- Demand that police in your city be defunded.
- "Email government officials and council members to reallocate egregious police budgets towards education, social services, and dismantling racial inequality via this crowd-sourced tool."
- Register to vote.
- How to Register To Vote
- A step by step guide to get you registered so that you can make your voice heard in upcoming elections.
- How to Confirm Your Voter Registration Status
- Not sure if you're already registered. Double-check here.
- Local Elections Calendar
- Being registered to vote is great. But it means nothing unless you get out there and do it. Use this calendar to find upcoming elections in your district and make your plan to vote!
- How to Register To Vote
- The Complete Guide to Defeating Voter Suppression
- The Root put together this handy guide for Black people who want to have their vote counted.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Consider donating to support Black trans liberation.
- House of Tulip is a Community Land Trust launching in the summer of 2020 to create housing solutions for trans and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people in Louisiana. 1 in 3 trans people in Louisiana report experiencing homelessness at some point in their life. With your help, House of Tulip will break that cycle for good in the New Orleans area.
Get mobilized for the movement for Black lives.
Here are some opportunities for direct action and organizations to get involved with.
How to stay safe at protests:
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- Movement for Black Lives - Protocol for Public Health Risk/Harm Reduction While Protesting
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Guidance for you to help stay safe and assess risk in participating in protests and marches.
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- Safety and Infiltration Documents
- Ongoing protests nationwide highlight the need for vigilance against infiltration by both law enforcement and bad actors. Via the Movement for Black Lives
- Movement for Black Lives - Protocol for Public Health Risk/Harm Reduction While Protesting
Organizations you should check out:
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- Movement for Black Lives
- "The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) formed in December of 2014, was created as a space for Black organizations across the country to debate and discuss the current political conditions, develop shared assessments of what political interventions were necessary in order to achieve key policy, cultural and political wins, convene organizational leadership in order to debate and co-create a shared movement wide strategy. Under the fundamental idea that we can achieve more together than we can separately."
- This site is also a great resource for upcoming events and ways to take action.
- BYP100
- Founded in 2013, BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100) is a member-based organization of Black youth activists creating justice and freedom for all Black people.
- Movement for Black Lives