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Resistance Roundup 6/5: Black Lives Matter

Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Tony McDade. George Floyd.

We say their names with respect but also with burning anger as we mourn their deaths as victims of a violent system built on white supremacy and anti-Blackness. Our anger at the injustice and hate embedded in our country’s institutions have led us to organize, protest, and demand change; risking our health and safety to do so in the midst of a global pandemic because we know that hate and racism are even more deadly than the coronavirus. Enough is enough. 

What impacts one of us impacts all of us. The struggle of the Black community is our communal struggle. We must work together to dismantle systems of oppression and create a truly inclusive democracy.  

We invite you to join us as we work on being a better ally and partner in the fight for our collective liberation. Explore the resources below to learn how you can become more actively anti-racist. Listen to and follow some of the leading Black elected officials and activists. Support organizations fighting for justice. But whatever you do, make sure you are speaking out and doing your part to demand justice—our lives depend on it.

Elected officials to follow and amplify on Twitter:

  • Gabriel Acevero: The first openly LGBTQ, Afro-Latino elected to the Maryland General Assembly; sponsored Anton’s Law, a police accountability bill born from the death of Anton Black, a Black teen who died in police custody in Greensboro in 2018
  • Pious Ali: The first African-born Muslim elected to Portland, Maine’s City Council
  • Alexander Assefa: Nevada Assemblyman; the first Ethiopian-American elected to public office in the United States
  • Samba Baldeh: The first Muslim and first African immigrant elected to the Madison City Council
  • Everton Blair: Gwinnett County School Board Member; the youngest and first member of color and openly gay member on the board
  • Antonio Delgado: U.S. Representative; the first person of either Black or Hispanic descent to be elected to Congress from Upstate New York; recently penned this op-ed in The Washington Post
  • Jean Bradley Derenoncourt: The first Haitian American to win a seat on the Brockton City Council
  • Deqa Dhalac: The first Black person and first Muslim elected to the South Portland City Council
  • Wanika Fisher: Maryland State Delegate; was just appointed to the Workgroup to Address Police Reform and Accountability in Maryland
  • Erika Geiss: Michigan State Senator; recently proposed a resolution that would ban Confederate flag imagery from the state Capitol
  • Will Jawando: Montgomery County Councilmember; is introducing legislation on June 9 to declare racism a public health emergency
  • Safiya Khalid: The first Somali American and hijab-wearing official on Lewiston City Council in Maine
  • Chol Majok: Syracuse Common Councilor; the first refugee elected to public office in Syracuse, New York
  • Nadia Mohamed: The first Muslim woman and Somali American elected to the St. Louis Park City Council in Minnesota
  • Zellnor Myrie: New York State Senator; was handcuffed and pepper sprayed while peacefully protesting in New York City on Friday
  • Mo Seifeldein: Alexandria City Councilmember; the first Sudanese immigrant to serve on the City Council.
  • Jheanelle Wilkins: Maryland State Delegate; the first Black woman to be elected to represent Maryland’s 20th District in the House of Delegates

Organizations to follow:

Guides and lists:

Black Lives Matter

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