U.S (UltraViolet) : Justice means for all to live in healthy and safe communities.

 

 

 

Dear friend,

 

 

 

Our community is feeling a whirlwind of emotions at the murder convictions of Derek Chauvin. Our hearts are with George Floyd's family and all forced to live without their loved ones, killed at the hands of police.¹ We are also grief stricken over the death of Ma'Khia Bryant who was shot by police yesterday virtually at the same time as guilty verdicts were announced for Chauvin.²

 

While the guilty verdicts bring some accountability, they are not justice. Justice would be for George Floyd and Ma'Khia Bryant, and so many others killed by police to be with us today. Justice means for all to live in healthy and safe communities, free of white supremacy and police violence.

 

To all of our community members, we urge you to replenish for the long fight that lies ahead of us. That is why we are sharing collective actions, as well as community care, resources to keep the fight going. We urge everyone to take care of themselves and to work together, as these are the only ways through which our long quest for justice is sustainable.

 

 

Collective Actions We Can Take for a Better Future

⇼ Demand Police Accountability for Ma'Khia Bryant. Call Mayor Andrew Ginther 614-645-7671 to demand accountability.

⇼ Donate toward mutual aid for and by Black people. Considering that the very same systems charged with community care often fail Black people, the Black community knows best how to come together and help one another. That is why we are urging you to donate to the mutual aid funds listed on the website of the Movement for Black Lives.

⇼ Support the BREATHE Act. The BREATHE Act divests federal funding from punitive incarceration, policing, and criminalization of people--that has led to the unaccountable police murders of Black people--to, instead, give grants to local communities for non-punitive and community-led approaches to public safety.³ It would blunt the militarization of communities by removing armed police officers and metal detectors from schools and government offices that provide social services, and instead invest in housing, health care, and reparations for racism.⁴ 

 

 

Community Care Resources 

⇼ Call a warmline if you're experiencing suicidal, spiraling, or depressive thoughts. Depression is a real, debilitating illness that is exacerbated by racism, misogyny, and, now, a pandemic.^5,6 Warriors engaged in long-term struggle need and ask for help. In asking for help, we are resisting harmful, white-heterosexual-capitalist systems and ideology.

⇼ Seek and offer support and community. You can check out this post from Autostraddle, which offers a convenient guide on how to search for queer and other identify-affirming communities on social media.⁷

⇼ Trauma is harmful to the body. Learn to care for yourself. While individual self care alone will not combat the harmful health effects caused by systemic racism and patriarchy--which is why we must also advocate for systemic change !--a major step toward collective healing is acknowledging the trauma that these systems of oppression have caused, especially to people of color. Yoga, stretching, and other exercise; journaling, prayer, and meditation, or other daily spiritual practices can help combat post-traumatic stress disorder and help the body heal from trauma. 

⇼ Replenish with any title from a Black-owned bookstore. Some of our staff members' favorite Black women and non-binary authors are Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and newer authors like Roxanne Gay, Akwaeke Emezi, Janet Mock, and Salamishah Tillet. 

 

 

Together, we can shut down white supremacy and patriarchy--and build a better future for all.

 

 

 

 

Shaunna, Kathy, Melody, Lindsay, Sonja, Kimberly, Maria, Elisa, KaeLyn, KD, Iris, Bridget, Katie, Isatou, Meena, and Jaya the UltraViolet team .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources :

 

 

 

 

1. Derek Chauvin Trial Live Updates: Chauvin Found Guilty of Murdering George Floyd, The New York Times, April 20, 2021

2. Columbus Police Shoot and Kill Black, Teenage Girl, NPR, April 20, 2021 

3. The BREATHE Act, The Movement for Black Lives, accessed April 19, 2021

4. Ibid.

5. Slideshow: Myths and Facts About Depression, WebMD, January 16, 2020

6. Racism and Mental Health, Mental Health America, accessed April 16, 2021

7. How to Take Care of Each Other: Community Care In Times Of Crisis, Autostraddle, June 8, 2020.

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