How to help the fight against systemic racism

It's important to understand the breadth of history at hand.

Learning about the history of black oppression and police violence can help you understand the severity of the issue, and how ingrained racial discrimination is in US society.

"I think people of goodwill who don't know our history really need to make up for lost time," Lieberman said. "Educating ourselves is so important."

Black Lives Matter is not a new fight — black organizers have always been advocating for change.

Layla F. Saad, an anti-racism educator, international speaker, and New York Times bestselling author, wrote about this in the Guardian:

"In order to understand what we are seeing on the news and experiencing in our lives, it's important to understand how history has shaped this moment. Reaching back to books published by black thinkers and feminists decades ago shows us (depressingly) how things are still very much the same, but also (empoweringly) gives us language and context for understanding what we are seeing now — and therefore the ability to disrupt tactics of oppression that still operate today."

As a basic starting point, here's a brief list of things to read, watch, and listen to:

Books

• "When They Call You a Terrorist" by Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and asha bandele
• "Me and White Supremacy" by Layla F. Saad
• "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
• "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeomo Oluo
• "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
• "Why We Can't Wait" by Martin Luther King Jr.
• "The Autobiography of Malcom X"
• "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi
• "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo
• "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race" by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Documentaries and movies available on streaming platforms now

• "13th" (Netflix)
• "I am Not Your Negro" (Amazon Prime)
• "The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross" (Amazon Prime)
• "Whose Streets?" (Hulu)
• "LA 92" (Netlix)
• "The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson" (Netflix)
• "TED Talks: An Interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter"

Podcasts

• "Code Switch" by NPR
• "Seeing White"
• "Come Through with Rebecca Carroll"
• "Still Processing"
• "Pod Save the People"

An additional list of educational things to watch from Insider's Gabbi Shaw can be found here.

Lieberman expressed the importance in filling out the US Census so they are counted properly for federal funding and political districting.

The US has a history of miscounting black populations, The Guardian reported.

Furthermore, exercising the right to vote and actively working to elect officials who will fight for change is an essential step to fight systemic racism, Lieberman said.

"Fight for the right to vote, and ensure that you work to build the strongest political power for people who believe in equality and democracy," she said. "As we work and fight for systemic change, people have to get familiar with the issues that the people we elect to office are grappling with, and hold them accountable."

For a quick link to voter registration and information, click here.

In a Medium post this week, former President Barack Obama pointed out how important it is to pay attention to local elections.

"It's mayors and county executives that appoint most police chiefs and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with police unions," he wrote. "It's district attorneys and state's attorneys that decide whether or not to investigate and ultimately charge those involved in police misconduct. Those are all elected positions."

You can usually make the most impact by supporting local organizations in your area, so taking some time to research is smart. If you're in a position to do so, Lieberman recommended making your financial contribution to organizations monthly, rather than one-time.

"I think people who can need to give, because this is a dire time for millions of Americans. But we also need to support organizations that are led by people of color, and work alongside organizations led by people of color to really press for the agenda of racial equality and equity," Lieberman said.

To find reliable organizations to donate to, Lieberman suggests thinking critically and putting in the effort to find reputable sources.

"Go on their websites and start reading. Read about their work and read about their history," she said.

Here are a few examples of organizations seeking donations. Many have local chapters, so you could donate to the chapter in your area:

• Black Lives Matter
• NAACP
• Color of Change
• Until Freedom
• Campaign Zero

Charity Navigator, a nonprofit that reviews and rates organizations, has a page dedicated to charities that support civil rights here. Black Lives Matter also compiled bail funds by state and city.

If you don't have the funds to donate, you can also volunteer.

Political reform begins at the local level, as former President Barack Obama reminded people this week.

"All politics are local. You can't be in a community and not be engaged in what goes on there," Lieberman said.

Organizations like Black Lives Matter and the NAACP have outlined key policy changes that they're demanding.

Make your voice heard by calling and writing to your elected officials, from your town to D.C.

You may have seen some of these being shared on social media. The Black Lives Matter website, for example, has created a list of petitions you can sign to demand justice for victims of police brutality.

The website also has pre-written emails to local officials demanding the arrests of officers involved in police brutality, legislation to fight for racial equality, support for incarcerated individuals, and more.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the last week, exercising their First Amendment right to assembly.

But the coronavirus pandemic and police response to curtailing the protests with tear gas, rubber bullets, and other methods make these demonstrations potentially dangerous. Here's a guide on how to safely prepare and what to do if you're hit with tear gas.

Furthermore, if attending the protests as a non-black person, Jumaane Williams, a political activist and public advocate in New York City, recommended following the lead of black organizers.

Lieberman had a special message for white protesters to remain peaceful.

"Those who call themselves white allies who run around engaging in violence ... you have no excuse to do that. White people have no excuse for making black people more vulnerable to targeting by the police than they already are. Engaging in violence is counterproductive right now," she said.

You can use your wallet to support black-owned businesses and invest in black communities.

The Black Lives Matter website has listed out Black-owned businesses that have been destroyed or financially compromised during the protests.

To find a list of local, black-owned businesses, check out these apps:

• Black Nation — an app that allows you to search for black-owned businesses in your area and gives business owners the opportunity to create visibility for their company for free
• EatOkra — a black-owned restaurant app directory that will connect you to local cuisine
• Official Black Wall Street — an app that will connect you to thousands of black-owned businesses
• Support Black Owned — a search engine/app to help you find black-owned businesses
• WeBuyBlack — an online marketplace that promotes products from black-owned businesses. Among other things, you can find books, clothes, gifts, art, home goods, and jewelry.

Here are some accounts you can follow on social media:

• Support Black Art
• Black Art in America
• Black Artist Space
• Dope Black Art
• Young Black Artists
• Black Art Expo

You can also follow the hashtag #supportblackartists or check out this list of organizations Artnet compiled to elevate emerging black artists, creators, and thinkers.

For some tips on how to discuss race with friends and family, check out this episode of NPR's "Code Switch."

"It's important for white people not to get defensive for being called out as benefiting from racism," Lieberman said. "It may not be your fault, but you do benefit. It is a privilege to go out in the street and not worry if the police will target you for the color of your skin. That may make life more comfortable but it is not more comfortable for our kids, its not more comfortable for our neighbors, and our community."

As WNYC host Rebecca Carroll wrote in the Atlantic, "Miserable is exactly how the white people who want to help should be feeling right now, and then they should sit with that misery until something breaks in their brain, the narrative changes in their psyche, and the legacy of emotional paralysis lifts entirely. I don't mean self-serving sadness or performative tears, but rather a bone-deep sense of agony and grief that forces the humanization of black people."

She added: "We can't matter unless we are seen as human beings first."

As Business Insider's Manny Fidel wrote in an opinion column, "Justice requires you to stand beside us at all times, not just when it's trending to do so."

And as Martin Douglas wrote in a KEXP piece: "The real work will come after the last pair of feet march off the street."