Children’s BLM protest organizer Nolan Davis (photo: Bailey Elizabeth Rogers)
“We are the children, the mighty mighty children. Here to tell you, Black lives matter!” hundreds of children chanted as they marched down sidewalks in Kirkwood, MO with their parents on Saturday, according to cnn.com.
Nolan Davis, 8, decided to organize the Black Lives Matter march for children in his hometown after attending a few other protests in the area with his mother Kristin Davis.
“Right after that, he asked me if he could have his own march so that he could let other people’s voices be heard,” his mother, Kristin Davis, told CNN.
So the two created a flyer for their “Children’s Black Lives Matter March” and shared it to Facebook, asking families to meet at Kirkwood Park.
“We thought that maybe 50 people would be there,” Nolan Davis said. “But there were like 700 people.”
Children of different races covered the sidewalks in chalk with phrases such as “Stop Racism” and “Be Kind to Everyone.” They marched with posters in their hands that read among other things “Black Children’s Futures Matter.”
Nolan Davis led the way with his poster that read, “Kids can make a change.”
Despite being a child in elementary school, Nolan Davis has already been taught the ways he needs to act differently in society compared to his White friends, such as playing with water guns only in the backyard “because you don’t want it to get mistaken for something else” or keeping the hood of his hoodie down, according to Kristin Davis.
As his White, adoptive mother, Kristin Davis acknowledged that she would never understand the fear that her Black son and daughter, five-year-old Caroline, would feel as they grow up. But she said she knew these talks were necessary to keep them safe.
“We’re preparing them for when they’re older and taller and bigger. When they’re not going to be perceived as cute little kids anymore,” she said.
Nolan Davis doesn’t like that there are different rules in society based on one’s skin color, which is why he organized the march.
He’s hoping he’ll inspire other children to use their voices and coe together to do the same.
Netflix announced today it is shifting $100 million of its cash to financial institutions that serve the Black community to draw attention to the racial wealth gap in America.
The streaming giant has $5.1 billion in cash assets, and 2% of that will be moved to Black-led banks.
In its public statement, the company said it will first inject $25 million into a fund managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a nonprofit that develops underinvested communities. Another $10 million will go to Hope Credit Union, which provides capital for the nation’s most impoverished regions in the Deep South.
To quote from Netflix’s statement:
At Netflix, we know great stories can create empathy and understanding. Stories like Ava DuVernay’s 13TH and Explained’s Racial Wealth Gap show how systemic racism in America has sustained a centuries-long financial gap between Black and White families. As part of our commitment to racial equity, we are turning understanding into action. Going forward, Netflix is going to allocate two percent of our cash holdings – initially up to $100 million – into financial institutions and organizations that directly support Black communities in the U.S.
According to the FDIC, banks that are Black-owned or led represent a mere one percent of America’s commercial banking assets. This is one factor contributing to 19 percent of Black families having either negative wealth or no assets at all – more than double the rate of White households – according to the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Black banks have been fighting to better their communities for decades but they’re disadvantaged by their lack of access to capital. The major banks, where big multinational companies including ours keep most of their money, are also focusing more on improving equity, but not at the grassroots level these Black-led institutions can and do. So we wanted to redirect some of our cash specifically toward these communities, and hope to inspire other large companies to do the same with their cash deposits.
We plan to redirect even more of our cash to Black-led and focused institutions as we grow, and we hope others will do the same. For example, if every company in the S&P 500 allocated a modest amount of their cash holdings into efforts like the Black Economic Development Initiative, each one percent of their cash would represent $20-$30 billion of new capital. And that would help build stronger communities, offering more Black families pathways to prosperity and a more equitable future.
Aaron Mitchell, Director, Talent Acquisition
Shannon Alwyn, Director, Treasury
The news was welcomed by billionaire Robert F. Smith, who made headlines last year when he offered to pay off the debts of Morehouse College‘s graduating class. He recently expanded on that pledge by creating the Student Freedom Initiative to help students at HBCUs get affordable, low-interest loans for to fund higher learning.
“This is how we turn outrage into action,” Smith tweeted Tuesday. “$100m into Black-owned banks is a giant step forward. If major U.S. companies invest 2% of profits in left-behind communities, we can close the racial wealth gap in 10 years.”
This is how we turn outrage into action. Thank you @reedhastings & @Netflix. $100m into Black-owned banks is a giant step forward. If major U.S. companies invest 2% of profits in left behind communities, we can close the racial wealth gap in 10 years. https://t.co/EqwtkHx6UK
For centuries, enslaved Africans were brought to America and had their worth literally determined in dollars and cents on an auction block.
This legacy of being bartered, traded, valued and devalued systemically and arbitrarily has been intrinsic to the African-American experience – a legacy that persists in many ways and is in serious need of transformation.
TEDx speaker, performance coach and GBN’s “This Way Forward” contributor Dena Crowder today offers a five-minute“Power Shot” to aid and guide us on divining and defining our own worth. Watch:
Robert F. Smith—the billionaire who pledged during a commencement speech last year to pay off the student debt of the Morehouse College class of 2019—is, according to time.com, launching a new initiative to help ease the burden of student loans at all HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).
The Student Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit organization, will launch in 2021 at up to 11 HBCUS and will offer juniors and seniors who are science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors a flexible, lower-risk alternative to high-interest private student loans.
The list of HBCUs participating in the initial rollout has not been finalized. SFI will target the disproportionate loan burden on Black students while creating more choices for students whose career options or further educational opportunities might be limited by heavy student debt.
The aims of the Initiative is to help 5,000 new students each year via a $50 million grant from Fund II Foundation, a charitable organization of which Smith is founding director and president.
Fund II has set a goal of raising at least $500 million by October to make the program “self-sustaining” through investments and graduates’ income-based repayments. Fund II will partner with Michael Lomax, CEO of the United Negro College Fund; Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research at Harvard; the Jain Family Institute and the Education Finance Institute.
“You think about these students graduating and then plowing so much of their wealth opportunity into supporting this student debt, that’s a travesty in and of itself,” Smith, chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, said Tuesday during a TIME100 Talks discussion with Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal.
[To see Robert Smith speak on the need for this initiative, watch here]
Smith—the wealthiest Black man in the United States, according to Forbes—donated $34 million last year that covered the student debt of about 400 Morehouse graduates, including the educational debt incurred by their families. He says his new initiative is an effort to create a more sustainable model for thousands more students.
“I think it’s important that we do these things at scale and en masse because that’s how you lift up entire communities,” he says. “Of course, we all like the great one story, but I want thousands of these stories. And I want thousands of Robert Smiths out there who are actually looking to do some things in fields that are exciting to them and are giving back.”
Portal Helps People Explore Issues Of Race, Racism And Racial Identity
At the end of May, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture launched Talking About Race, a new online portal designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity and the way these forces shape every aspect of society, from the economy and politics to the broader American culture.
The online portal provides digital tools, online exercises, video instructions, scholarly articles and more than 100 multi-media resources tailored for educators, parents and caregivers—and individuals committed to racial equality.
A rash of racially charged incidents—from an altercation in Central Park to acts of police brutality resulting in the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and the protests they provoked in cities around the country—prompted the Museum to move up the release date of Talking About Race. The portal is free and does not require registration or sign-up to use.
Since opening the museum, the number one question we are asked is how to talk about race, especially with children. We recognize how difficult it is to start that conversation. But in a nation still struggling with the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and white supremacy, we must have these tough conversations if we have any hope of turning the page and healing. This new portal is a step in that direction.
Spencer Crew, interim director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Research shows that many people feel they do not have the information needed to discuss race in a way that is candid, safe and respectful of other viewpoints and experiences.
“The portal offers a wealth of resources to inform and guide discussions—videos, role-playing exercises, targeted questions and more, said Crew.” “We hope that people will use this site to become more comfortable about engaging in honest dialogue and self-reflection.”
According to an exclusive Variety.com report, Magnolia Pictures will premiere “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” a new documentary about the Civil Rights icon and longtime congress member, in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Juneteenth.
The film, which Magnolia and Participant are distributing, will screen at Circle Cinema, a non-profit organization that operates from a theater that traces back to 1928.
The screenings will be free (theaters will be at 25% capacity) and are intended to serve as counter-programing to Donald Trump’s political rally on Saturday. That rally ignited a firestorm of backlash and condemnation because it was originally scheduled to take place on Juneteenth, a holiday stemming from Texas that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
Tulsa was the site of a race massacre in 1921 that has been called “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.” Trump later moved the date of the rally back by a day.
“Our city is searching for ideas and ways to do peaceful protest of Trump,” Chuck Foxen, film programmer at Circle Cinema, told Variety. “This feels like a powerful way to celebrate the spirit and meaning of Juneteenth.”
In an historic and majority 6-3 decision this morning, the United States Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination against LGBTQ workers is prohibited by federal law.
According to the New York Times, SCOTUS said the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination, applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“The vote was 6 to 3, with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch writing the majority opinion. He was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
The case concerned Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex. The question for the justices was whether that last prohibition — discrimination “because of sex”— applies to many millions of gay and transgender workers.
The decision, covering two cases, was the court’s first on L.G.B.T. rights since the retirement in 2018 of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinions in all four of the court’s major gay rights decisions.”
According to Black Enterprise, Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams of Cash Money Records partnered with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell to cover rent for the month of June for New Orleans residents living in low-income housing.
The Williams brothers have donated over $225,000 to Forward Together New Orleans (FTNO), a nonprofit providing resources to the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the inception of Cash Money nearly 25 years ago, Birdman and Slim have given back to under-resourced communities in the area through The Johnny and Gladys Williams Foundation that is named after their parents. Over the years, the brothers and their team have provided residents with health screenings, thanksgiving meals, and other resources.
According to abcnews.go.com, a major street in Washington D.C that leads to the White House, has been painted with bold, bright-yellow letters reading “BLACK LIVES MATTER.” at the behest of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The giant letters are painted just two blocks from Lafayette Square, where on Monday U.S. Park Police and other law enforcement agencies used what protesters described as tear gas to make way for the president’s walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church where he took a photo holding a Bible.
“There are people who are craving to be heard and to be seen, and to have their humanity recognized, and we had the opportunity to send that message loud and clear on a very important street in our city,” Bowser said at a press conference. “And it is that message, and that message is to the American people, that Black Lives Matter black humanity matters, and we as a city raise that up as part of our values as a city,”
The mayor said that the people who painted it were from the D.C. Public Works department.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also has ordered the stretch of 16th Street NW between H and K streets renamed “Black Lives Matter PLZ,” she told reporters at a press conference today.
The new sign bearing the plaza’s name has been put up at 16th and H streets.
Music Supervisor Rob Lowry (Twitter: @robertlowry) was recently inspired by Han Martin‘s (Twitter: @hnicolemartin) “Resources for White Family” post to create his own version of a letter and resources to White friends and family and tweet it to anyone who wanted them.
Good Black News requested and was given permission by Lowry to share his document in its entirety, as especially now Black people are being asked for resources from White colleagues, friends and family, and already have way too much to handle. So why not just shortcut it for everybody?
Lowry’s intro, letter and resources below:
** To everyone reading this: Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to begin having necessary conversations. Please note that this is by no means exhaustive, nor is it “One Size Fits All,” and should be used as a template to revise and repurpose as you see fit.
This particular version is in many ways meant as a very simple spoon-fed entry way into this conversation. This was compiled from several templates and resources across the web.
You’ll see that I’ve started my resources with documentaries and movies as that is the easiest and most efficient media that someone is most likely to consume, especially if they can simply click Netflix and the documentary is waiting for them to stream. Please feel free to share, and I hope this proves to be a useful resource for you and your family and friends. **
Hello Family & Friends,
First and foremost, I hope everyone is healthy and safe. As our country goes through this difficult period, I have taken much time to reflect on my own privilege, racism (conscious or unconscious), and my education and evolution on those issues over the years. The last few days and weeks have understandably intensified those thoughts. This reflection has led me to reach out to my loved ones to engage and discuss how we can be better allies to Black and Brown people (especially those in the LGTBQ+ community) moving forward.
These conversations can be difficult. My hope is that by sending this message and opening up a dialogue among close family members, we can listen and learn together and figure out how each of us can play a role in supporting these communities who need our support now more than ever.
These unprecedented times are amplified in communities who directly suffer from racism, police brutality, and oppression on a day to day basis. We know the system is broken and the recent murders of George Floyd , Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, and Tony McDade are a direct result of the system that inherently promotes white supremacy. Below is a graphic to further illustrate how white supremacy expresses itself in our world and how, whether or not we are aware, we contribute to it:
As we all know, these murders are not an isolated incident but, rather, the results that come from a flawed system designed and built to oppress minorities. While protests rage on across the country, it is an opportunity for people with privilege (like our family) to listen, read, and educate ourselves so that we can play a role in promoting anti-racism. It is easy during times like this to look away and wait for things to settle back down and revert to how they were. But we can no longer do that. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves and be proactive in defending and supporting our fellow human beings. We have the ability to take action, invest in anti-racism, support minority communities, condemn racism and oppression and create a better country – for everyone.
It is not the burden of these communities to educate us; we must educate ourselves. We are lucky enough to live in a time where we have access to a wealth of information that we can use at the click of a button. Below is a list of documentaries, books, and other items readily accessible that we could spend a few hours reading or listening to and thinking about. My hope is that this can lead to a further discussion, as a family, of what we can do to be more supportive of these communities.
DOCUMENTARIES & FILMS
Here is a list of Social Justice Films & Documentaries to watch. Start with 13th. I would also recommend watching GET OUT, BLINDSPOTTING, DO THE RIGHT THING, 42, THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, OJ: MADE IN AMERICA, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?, HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING
BOOKS
There is a plethora of literature on this topic – as a quick read and powerful introduction, I recommend Ta-Nehisi Coates “Between The World and Me” (BONUS POINTS FOR ORDERING FROM A LOCAL AND/OR BLACK OWNED BUSINESS RATHER THAN AMAZON). Here are some BLACK OWNED BOOK STORES across the country that could use your help
WHERE TO DONATE:
*Along with these charities, please google local organizations as well as victims’ families GoFundMe accounts that you can donate to and have a huge impact on their lives*
The Ida B. Wells Society – news trade organization dedicated to increasing and retaining reporters and editors of color in the field of investigative reporting
Black Lives Matter – mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes
Reclaim The Block – organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget
Black Visions Collective – Black, queer, and trans-led Minnesota nonprofit organizes campaigns to cut police budgets, invest in community-driven safety strategies, train activists, and celebrate Black joy
Campaign Zero – calls on lawmakers on every level to end police violence by implementing comprehensive research-based policy solutions
Know Your Rights Camp – aims to advance Black and Brown youth education and self-empowerment through events and campaigns
Black Youth Project 100 – dedicated to advancing the Black community’s economic, social, political, and educational freedoms, through a Black queer feminist lens
NAACP Legal Fund – legal organization fighting for racial justice
