Resources to Learn and Support Black Lives Matter

I’ve gotten a lot of requests to share the resources I’ve been using to educate myself more on Black history and the Black Lives Matter movement the past couple weeks, so thought it would be beneficial to put everything together in one place. If you have more ideas or resources, please drop them in the comments below so we can continue the conversation and MAKE A CHANGE!! xx

Amazing Organizations Working to Support BLM

• Equal Justice Initiative: A nonprofit organization that’s committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S. by challenging racial and economic injustice and protecting basic human rights for vulnerable communities. I’ll be adding a donation sticker to my IG live workouts to collect donations for EJI and we’ve already raised over $3.7K! It’s such an awesome organization– I became familiar after watching the movie, Just Mercy.
• Black Visions Collective: A black, trans and queer-led organization that centers their work in healing and transformative justice principles to help develop Minnesota’s emerging black leadership. They’re committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence and shifting the public narrative to create long-term change.
• Color of Change: The nation’s largest online racial justice organization! They lead campaigns to help people respond effectively to injustice in black communities.
• Minnesota Freedom Fund: A community-based nonprofit that’s fighting to end discriminatory and coercive jailing and cash bail in the U.S., which disproportionately impacts low-income POC. They also pay criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who’ve been arrested while protesting if you support that!

Podcasts to Educate

• 1619
• Codeswitch
• About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
• Intersectionality Matters!
• The Diversity Gap

Movies to Watch

• Just Mercy
• When They See Us
• 13th
• Selma
• I Am Not Your Negro
• Fruitvale Station
• True Justice – HBO documentary

Books to Learn More About Yourself & Systemic Racism

• So You Want to Talk About Race by Iljeoma Oluo
• Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
• How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DeAngelo
• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad

People Putting Out Helpful Content on IG

• @laylafsaad: New York Times and Sunday Times Bestselling Author of Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor. She’s also a speaker and podcast host focusing on topics like race, identity, leadership, personal transformation and social change.
• @rachel.cargle: A writer, lecturer and activist who specializes in the intersection of rance and womanhood.
• @mspackyettti: An activist, the co-founder of Campaign Zero (an organization fighting to end police brutality in the U.S. with research-based policy solutions) and a co-host on the podcast Pod Save the People.
• @munroebergdorf: A trans model and activist.
• @mireillecharper: A writer and editor who wrote 10 Steps To Non-Optical Allyship (a quick and easy read on her IG!).

Black-Owned Restaurants (Seattle-based)

• Jebena Cafe: An Ethiopian-inspired restaurant with vegan and gluten-free options.
• Plum Bistro: A vegan restaurant in Capital Hill. Make sure to check out Plum Chopped (a fast-casual walkup counter) right next door for breakfast and lunch items, Sugar Plum for some ice cream (vegan options available!) and Pantry by Plum Bistro for some extra healthy options.
• Central Cafe and Juice Bar: An eco-conscious cafe with a versatile menu. Including coffee, fresh-pressed juice, smoothies, pastries, deli items and more.
• Pinckney Cookie Cafe: Vegan and gluten-free cookies based in Kirkland, but they also ship nationwide! You can also find them at a few farmer’s markets in Seattle.