5 Simple Ways I’ve Supported the #BlackLivesMatter Movement — and You Can Too

5 min readJun 6, 2020

This is not a ‘Black’ issue. It’s a humanitarian issue.

It’s been a week, ya’ll.

We’re grieving the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

We’re navigating public discussions on racial injustices that were once reserved for private conversations.

We’re deciphering the authenticity of those (people and organizations) who genuinely value Black lives from those “performing activism” to save face.

We’re fighting — with our voices, our money, our bodies — to spur the largest civil rights movement in American history.

It’s been — heavy. I ty to remind others that while you — a non-Black person — may be enraged by these injustices for the first time in your life. We — the Black community — are in constant rage.

For me, it started with the death of Trayvon Martin. The 17-year-old was killed after venturing out to buy Skittles. Charging George Zimmerman with murder was a no-brainer, right? Except Trayvon was Black. Except the key witness, Rachel Jeantel, was also Black and ridiculed throughout the trial for her appearance, class and dialect rather than respected and validated.

Since Zimmerman’s acquittal, and as we‘ve lost many other Black people in a similar way without due justice — Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown and Philando Castile to name a few — our rage became a part of our identity. With each tragedy, we’re thrown into a vicious cycle of shock, grief, sadness, anger and, unfortunately, acceptance.

Acceptance that we’re seen as less than human because of the color of our skin.

Acceptance that our Black children, spouses, siblings and friends are 2.5x more likely than Whites to be killed by police, yet we are only 13% of the US population.

Acceptance that Black lives are devalued by many of the people that we work, eat, worship, play and live alongside.

So we become numb. We sit at our desks and attend meetings, maintaining professionalism through our rage.

We pour our love into our Black brothers and sisters, uniting through our rage.

We live in a dichotomy between a society that perpetuates freedom and one that has systemically proven that freedom doesn’t apply to citizens of a darker hue. We’re simply trying to survive through our rage.

So if you’re a Black person, I understand if you’re feeling paralyzed right now. Maybe you’re overwhelmed by the media. Maybe you’re feeling the stress of past and present trauma. Maybe you’re feeling helpless, like I did a few short days ago.

But you’re not helpless and you’re certainly not hopeless. And like me, I’m sure you don’t want to look back years from now and realize you stood on the sidelines as history was made on our behalf. Here are a few simple ways you — and anyone else — can take action and support the #BlackLivesMatter movement with what you have right now:

1. Vote

I think we can all agree that anyone who incites hate and violence against BIPOC, spews racist rhetoric and supports racist policies shouldn’t hold the position of chief executive.

See exhibit A: Trump Condemned Racism As ‘Evil.’ Here Are 20 Times He Embraced It.

But we also have to be diligent about electing officials at all levels of government whose ideals and policies align with our fight against systemic oppression and racial injustice.

Primary elections are already underway, but we have to show up on November 3rd to exercise our right — and help drive positive changes that will propel the movement.

2. Sign petitions

This is probably the simplest action we can take to show support and bring awareness to specific issues. Many of these petitions can be signed — and shared — in a minute or less right from your mobile device.

If you need help finding petitions, view this Twitter thread created by @fentyybeyy. But don’t be fooled by the first tweet in the thread (yes, I fell for the clickbait and I’m happy I did).

It’s a thread filled with resources that you can access to sign petitions and donate to non-profit organizations dedicated to the cause. If you don’t know where to start, this thread is for you.

3. Donate

Some of us are experiencing financial hardship due to the effects of COVID-19. But if you’re able, there are a number of ways you can donate to support #BLM.

Consider contributing to memorial funds, bail funds for protestors and reputable non-profit organizations.

You can fund the movement directly at blacklivesmatter.com or check out this list published on The Strategist: 115 Ways to Donate in Support of Black Lives and Communities of Color.

I also recommend researching NPOs in your local area that are supporting and serving Black people and communities.

4. Amplify Black voices

This is the perfect time to bring Black creators, entrepreneurs, activists, influencers, athletes, educators and more to the forefront. We are often overlooked in predominantly White spaces and together — with our allies — we can get our voices heard.

Take the start-up industry, for example. In 2015, Black founder funding rate was 10X below demographic equity, according to CB Insights. Though not much has changed in the past five years, the recent uprising has prompted some venture firms to increase their support of Black founders and investors.

You can do your part by simply raising awareness in your online and offline communities. Share our work, connect us to your network, help us gain access to new spaces and opportunities and buy our products and services. Supporting Black lives includes making sure we — Black people — have a seat at every table.

See exhibit B: Alexis Ohanian steps down from Reddit board to make room for a black candidate

5. Learn

Finally, take some time to reflect on America’s history of racial injustice dating back to the 17th century— with slavery.

Learn about the effects slavery and Jim Crow has had on our livelihood, access to equal opportunities, mental and physical health, generational wealth, mass incarceration and, of course, our harrowed relationship with America’s policing system. Most important, let’s understand what’s needed to curb those effects.

There are a number of books, films, podcasts and well-informed voices available to help you learn about the issues. To start, here are a few curated lists:

Any action is contributing the collective fight to ensure Black lives are valued by everyone, but especially those who are paid to protect and serve our communities.

And please remember, this is not a one-and-done situation. We may never see a resolution on our lifetime. So once you’ve snapped into action with these small steps, we all have to develop long-term strategies to support #BlackLivesMatter and effect real change in the years ahead.

Because this isn’t just a ‘Black’ issue. It’s a humanitarian issue. And all lives won’t matter until #BlackLivesMatter.