Join The Movement: 5 Ways to Get Involved & Encourage Change

You’ve donated. You voted (or you’re planning to). You’ve shared and signed the petitions. Maybe you’ve attended a protest or two. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering what else you can do to get involved. The protests and national attention have lit American on fire and it’s up to us to keep that momentum going. It’s been on my heart lately, trying to figure out how I can do more to join the movement and be of service. Allow me to share what I came up with.

Vote

(and encourage your peers to do so as well)

The 2016 election saw a decline in Black voter turnout for the first time in almost two decades. We have to get out and vote, ya’ll, and not just in presidential elections. The local elections have as much of an effect (if not a bigger effect) on our daily lives so we have to let our voices be heard. RockTheVote.org is a great resource to educate yourself on the voting process and encourage your friends as well.

You can apply to become a Rock the Vote ambassador. According to the website, ambassadors “receive advanced voter registration and mobilization training; exclusive briefings and research; networking and professional development opportunities; and access to information and resources to deploy relational organizing tactics”.

Another specific way to help…

Reach out to your State’s senators and demand support of the National Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020. This act is designed to improve ballot access this year by expanding in-person early voting and ensuring all states allow no-excuses vote-by-mail, among other things.

Speak Out!

Conventional wisdom will tell you nothing ever got solved by just talking about it. And I agree, to a point. But, I think open, honest discourse certainly has its place, especially in today’s world. In many cases, discussion and the sharing of experiences can lead to action. Don’t be afraid to speak up and speak out whenever and wherever you can. You can be a part of small change in your workplace, church, and community if you’re willing to engage.

Believe it or not, there are some awesome Facebook groups out there for this as well. Admittedly, I haven’t always been a fan of “Facebook conversations”. Things tend to derail fairly quickly when you remove the face-to-face aspect of a convo. But these well-moderated groups encourage honest and authentic discussion, and we need that now, more than ever.

Check out a few of my favorites:

• Brown Babes Rep Too: advocating for diversity in the Small Shop rep community. June 22- June 28 is actually Small Shop Representation Week; you can follow Brown Babes Rep Too on Instagram as well as the hashtags #BrownBabesRepToo and #SmallShopRepresentationMatters for more info
• Black Women Lead: Discussing Racism: thoughtful discussion on systemic racism and how it effects our community. This group is open to everyone so there’s a lot of opportunity for encouragement and education (if you feel led) for non-POCs hoping to unpack, unlearn, and become true allies
• Conscious Parenting for the Culture: a parenting group led by Black women certified and educated in positive parenting. It’s my firm belief that, as Black parents, raising happy, educated, independent Black children is its own form of resistance and this group has helped me and my babies so much in our journey. There’s tons of great information and resources no matter what stage you’re in of the parenting game.

Get Involved

Conduct some research and figure out how to join the movement in your local community. Find groups and organizations designed to further the advancement of Black people and POCs and find out how you can help. The NAACP has tons of local chapters and most churches have outreach programs that are always looking for volunteers.

There are many national groups that need support as well. Here’s a helpful list of African-American organizations you need to know about.

Support

Make a REAL COMMITMENT to supporting Black-owned businesses. Whenever you can, try to sow back into our community by buying from Black shops, using Black service providers, and eating at Black-owned restaurants. WeBuyBlack.com and BlackBrandsUnite.com are both great resources; I’ve also compiled a comprehensive list of over fifty Black-owned online boutiques for you to check out. Let’s support and encourage each other whenever possible.

Educate

We already know Black history isn’t taught in schools the way it should be. Parents, we should definitely advocate for the inclusion of more Black stories in school curricula, but it’s ultimately up to us to pass our culture and history down to the littles. Some fun ideas:

• Read books together (here are some great books on Black history and culture)
• Educational games and activities
• Black history and art museums (here’s a list of museums around the country)
• Family field trips to important landmarks and locations dealing with our history

How do you plan to join the movement? What forms of activism most speak to you? Let’s discuss.