U.S : 5 actions to combat racism TODAY.

Dear friend,

Racism is lethal.

In the past weeks, the world has witnessed police murder George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. We have seen the president of the United States glorify shooting protesters demanding justice for police-driven racial violence.¹ And we have seen the viral video of a white woman named Amy Cooper falsely accusing a Black man of threatening her in Central Park.²

Sadly, Amy Cooper’s appallingly entitled and harmful behavior is not surprising, and grounded in a long history of white women engaging in racist behavior toward Black men, with deadly consequences. 

And these are only some of the recorded incidents that have made the news. They are a mere blip in the onslaught of daily racism impacting people of color in the United States.

Combating racism requires all of us to take action, especially white folks. Today, please consider taking one or all of the following five actions :

• Speak up for Breonna Taylor. On the night of March 13, Breonna Taylor, a first responder in Louisville, Kentucky, was fatally shot eight times in her bed by Louisville Metro Police. The police reportedly were looking for drugs they never found, and a suspect who did not live with Breonna or in her complex--and whom they already had in custody. Please call Louisville Metro Police to demand justice for Breonna. 

• Donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Every dollar will go straight to Black youth leaders on the ground who are fighting for justice for George Floyd and other victims of racist violence. In addition, the money will help secure the release of demonstrators.  

• Please share this Facebook post of Amy Cooper’s harmful behavior. Your update could be as simple as the following excerpt from the Huffington Post article : "Amy Cooper lost her dog and possibly her job. Christian Cooper, the Black man she called the cops on, could have lost his life." It is important that your followers on Facebook understand why Amy Cooper’s behavior is harmful, and even deadly.

• Continuously educate yourself. The burden of dismantling racism and white supremacy should not land on the shoulders of people of color. We especially encourage white members to educate themselves. Start by following the work of Rachel Cargle, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, and bell hooks on Instagram.

• Share what you learn with your family and friends. Do talk about race on your social media accounts and kitchen tables. Our friends at Race Forward have a helpful guide to broach such difficult conversations.

We will never stop seeking justice for Breonna, George and all victims of racism.

We will never stop mobilizing our members until we are all free. 

We. Will. Not. Stop.

Thank you for joining us in taking action.

Shaunna, Kat, Kathy, Anathea, Melody, Pam, Lindsay, Sonja, Kimberly, Maria, Elisa, and Katie, the UltraViolet team

Sources :

1. "Twitter Places Warning on a Trump Tweet, Saying it Glorified Violence," The New York Times

2. "Amy Cooper Knew Exactly What She Was Doing," Huffington Post