How to Be Part of the Black Lives Matter Movement

Looking to donate or need resources? Here’s a breakdown of grassroots organizations supporting protesters while promoting long-term changes in policing, the criminal-justice system, and the safety and well-being of black Americans everywhere.

BAIL FUNDS: These collective-run organizations post bail for individuals who can’t afford it. “Loss of housing, loss of jobs, loss of custody of children — just understand there are real effects that detention has on people,” says Kansas City Community Bail Fund co-founder Lauren Worley. To find one in your area, check out the Community Justice Exchange’s National Bail Fund Network, a directory of verified local funds across all 50 states.

POLICE DIVESTMENT ORGANIZATIONS: In Minneapolis, Reclaim the Block — a communityled nonprofit that lobbies local government to redirect funds to education and mental-health programs — received attention for its calls for justice for George Floyd, but it’s not alone. In New York City, Communities United for Police Reform has been pushing Mayor Bill de Blasio to redirect funds from the NYPD; in California, People’s Budget LA is drafting its own suggestions for how to reallocate the police department’s $2 billion budget.

MUTUAL AID GROUPS: Since the protests began, groups set up to fill gaps left by cuts in community services — like Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy Strong and Seattle’s Covid19 Mutual Aid — have pivoted to include protester care. At Salt Lake Valley COVID

Mutual Aid in Utah, a team of 300 volunteers not only provides groceries, emergency cash, and sanitary supplies to community members in need, they now distribute care packages to demonstrators, too. “Protesters also have access to all of our regularly offered mutual-aid support — especially as protesters may need to self-quarantine after mass gatherings,” says a representative.

NATIONAL FUNDS: When the pandemic and protests slow down, the need to provide resources for underserved black communities will continue. From the Okra Project in New York City, which gives emergency food money (as well as offering kitchen-skills classes) for trans people of color, to the Loveland Foundation, which provides scholarships and mental-health resources to black women and girls, there are as many organizations as there are causes. Seek out ones run by those in the community — as opposed to outside officials — as a way to make a long-term impact. CLAIRE SHAFFER