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A Few Ideas for How You Can Help
Jun. 2nd, 2020 01:44 pmLately, I have been seeing a lot of people comment that we are living through a combo of the 1918 Pandemic, the Great Depression late ‘60s rioting, complete with big audiences for rocket launches. It is not wrong, altho it definitely leaves some things out. We do not currently have a World War raging, nor do we have a Dust Bowl, or (yet) White Flight. So, there is that. Arguably, in much the same way that the 1918 Flu put a stop to The Great War, there are some nasty things that have been slowed or reversed (probably temporarily, like the world war) by our pandemic: the population in ICE detention is at its lowest level of this administration, some prisons and jails have reduced overcrowding somewhat, and we have some pretty clear skies and air to enjoy.
Right at this particular moment in time, a lot of people who are watching the news, are experiencing that particular agony in which one knows that one is not going to go participate in the protest directly, but one would really like to show their support. And this time, consciousness raising seems to not necessarily be necessary any more. This is the moment to start taking effective action, and yet we are all at a bit of a loss. OK. Not _all_ of us.
What follows is NOT aimed at people who are uncertain about how they are going to pay their bills, nor is it aimed at people who are participating more directly in the protests. You are doing Enough. This is aimed at the rest of us, who have noticed we have been spending a lot less money since we cannot go out to restaurants and other cultural activities. I invite you to look at that money you did not spend on those things, and will not be able to spend on those things, and direct those resources where it will do some good.
The easiest starting point of all is the NAACP, specifically, their Legal Defense Fund. When pivoting from watching the news and talking about it to putting one’s money where one’s values are, it is super easy to be much pickier about where one spends one’s charitable $20 bills vs. say at spending those same $20 bills on a latte or a salad or a shirt or whatever. Do not let uncertainty and pickiness slow you in donating. The NAACP-LDF has solid branding, a storied history, and an excellent rating at Charity Navigator. https://www.naacpldf.org/
Then I got to thinking. Well, we need more than one approach to this. And it would be a salve to my conscience to give to an organization that was younger, more directly connected to the issues of the day, and, specifically, more in tune with the protesters who I sorta wish I could join, but I live in the wrong place, have children and am definitely the wrong age.
I looked around, and realized that a big part of this problem — police brutality — is that the white donor community (yes, including me) is not accustomed to funneling money to organizations that are good at direct action. I mean YES sort of by definition, but come on. We can step outside our boxes. A little.
http://www.wetheprotesters.org is a great group, and their Campaign Zero project is a particularly relevant, worthy cause.
WeTheProtesters was my second donation, and yes, like the NAACP-LDF, it, too, is tax-deductible. While you might think that, yeah, right, like I itemize any more, consider this:
https://www.philanthropy.com/article/How-the-New-300/248523
I am neither a lawyer nor a tax accountant, but even people who do not itemize may be able to take $300 above the line for charitable donations for TY 2020. (Again, this is not a post aimed at people who wonder how they will pay their rent, or who are rinsing pepper spray out of their eyes. This is for other people, who have money they are not spending on fun things they would normally do, and who, for a variety of reasons, are staying away from the pepper spray.)
If you are looking for a Minnesota area organization focused on police brutality, Communities United Against Police Brutality can be found at: https://www.cuapb.org
If instead you want to take a larger perspective, consider donating to Fair Fight (to help ensure that the upcoming election is actually fair). https://fairfight.com Oh and make sure you vote, not just in November, and not just for the next President, but in all upcoming elections, and do some research to make sure your choices are excellent and reflect your values of which the protests are now reminding you.
If you have donated to the ACLU, consider this organization of lawyers and their justice project: https://www.nlg-npap.org/about-npap-justice/. The unjust brutality is not limited to the police; it extends throughout the system, so consider either your local, a local, or the national Innocence Project. https://www.innocenceproject.org Also take a look at the Equal Justice Initiative. https://eji.org
If you give annually to various organizations — many people give to organizations like Habitat for Humanity every year — think about picking one or more organizations led by people of color, and focused on issues of people of color, that also align with your values. The disconnect between the overwhelmingly white donor community, and the problems in marginalized communities (that are often mostly communities of color) is an embarrassingly big part of the problem, and can, thus, be a heartwarming part of the solution.
If you are thinking, how am I ever going to find time to do any of this, I hear you! And as a Permission Fairy, I hereby grant you permission to ignore the news for the duration of time necessary for you to do whichever of the above you would like to do.
Right at this particular moment in time, a lot of people who are watching the news, are experiencing that particular agony in which one knows that one is not going to go participate in the protest directly, but one would really like to show their support. And this time, consciousness raising seems to not necessarily be necessary any more. This is the moment to start taking effective action, and yet we are all at a bit of a loss. OK. Not _all_ of us.
What follows is NOT aimed at people who are uncertain about how they are going to pay their bills, nor is it aimed at people who are participating more directly in the protests. You are doing Enough. This is aimed at the rest of us, who have noticed we have been spending a lot less money since we cannot go out to restaurants and other cultural activities. I invite you to look at that money you did not spend on those things, and will not be able to spend on those things, and direct those resources where it will do some good.
The easiest starting point of all is the NAACP, specifically, their Legal Defense Fund. When pivoting from watching the news and talking about it to putting one’s money where one’s values are, it is super easy to be much pickier about where one spends one’s charitable $20 bills vs. say at spending those same $20 bills on a latte or a salad or a shirt or whatever. Do not let uncertainty and pickiness slow you in donating. The NAACP-LDF has solid branding, a storied history, and an excellent rating at Charity Navigator. https://www.naacpldf.org/
Then I got to thinking. Well, we need more than one approach to this. And it would be a salve to my conscience to give to an organization that was younger, more directly connected to the issues of the day, and, specifically, more in tune with the protesters who I sorta wish I could join, but I live in the wrong place, have children and am definitely the wrong age.
I looked around, and realized that a big part of this problem — police brutality — is that the white donor community (yes, including me) is not accustomed to funneling money to organizations that are good at direct action. I mean YES sort of by definition, but come on. We can step outside our boxes. A little.
http://www.wetheprotesters.org is a great group, and their Campaign Zero project is a particularly relevant, worthy cause.
WeTheProtesters was my second donation, and yes, like the NAACP-LDF, it, too, is tax-deductible. While you might think that, yeah, right, like I itemize any more, consider this:
https://www.philanthropy.com/article/How-the-New-300/248523
I am neither a lawyer nor a tax accountant, but even people who do not itemize may be able to take $300 above the line for charitable donations for TY 2020. (Again, this is not a post aimed at people who wonder how they will pay their rent, or who are rinsing pepper spray out of their eyes. This is for other people, who have money they are not spending on fun things they would normally do, and who, for a variety of reasons, are staying away from the pepper spray.)
If you are looking for a Minnesota area organization focused on police brutality, Communities United Against Police Brutality can be found at: https://www.cuapb.org
If instead you want to take a larger perspective, consider donating to Fair Fight (to help ensure that the upcoming election is actually fair). https://fairfight.com Oh and make sure you vote, not just in November, and not just for the next President, but in all upcoming elections, and do some research to make sure your choices are excellent and reflect your values of which the protests are now reminding you.
If you have donated to the ACLU, consider this organization of lawyers and their justice project: https://www.nlg-npap.org/about-npap-justice/. The unjust brutality is not limited to the police; it extends throughout the system, so consider either your local, a local, or the national Innocence Project. https://www.innocenceproject.org Also take a look at the Equal Justice Initiative. https://eji.org
If you give annually to various organizations — many people give to organizations like Habitat for Humanity every year — think about picking one or more organizations led by people of color, and focused on issues of people of color, that also align with your values. The disconnect between the overwhelmingly white donor community, and the problems in marginalized communities (that are often mostly communities of color) is an embarrassingly big part of the problem, and can, thus, be a heartwarming part of the solution.
If you are thinking, how am I ever going to find time to do any of this, I hear you! And as a Permission Fairy, I hereby grant you permission to ignore the news for the duration of time necessary for you to do whichever of the above you would like to do.