[id: An informational guide reading: "HOW CAN I HELP FROM EUROPE? A small guide with educational resources and suggestions for Europeans fighting anti-blackness.
1. BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED "ITS NOT ENOUGH TO BE NOT RACIST, YOU MUST ACTIVELY BE ANTI-RACIST" - ANGELA DAVIS It doesn't matter if you have 10 followers or 100.000. It's important to keep the conversation going online and to spread awareness. Silence is an immense privilege and can even imply agreement.
DON'T JUST STOP AFTER A SIMPLE STORY POST. THAT STORY IS GONE AFTER 24 HOURS, RACISM ISN'T.
A lot of people from the US are sharing a phone number to call or text, but for many of us this can get very expensive (most phone plans here don't cover international calls outside of the EU). A great alternative is to send an e-mail to [email protected] and share this initiative online. Other easy steps you can take is to sign petitions or donate money if your financial situation allows you to.
Donations: Minnesota Freedom Fund & The Bail Project pay bails for protesters who can't afford it, check out their instagram @mnfreedomfund @bailproject
Petition: www.justiceforbigfloyd.com
2. BEYOND THE HASHTAGS
Educate yourself! Racism doesn't stop when the brutal murder of #GeorgeFloyd isn't trending anymore. It's very good if you made your statements online and reposted those stories, but it is crucial to be critical of yourself and ask 'how will I take this further?'. Am I as strongly fighting against racism offline as I am doing online right now? Do I listen to the Black community? Am I aware of the impact of white supremacy in my own country?
Some informative documentaries
Dutch: Wit is ook een kleur (2DOC), French: Trop noire pour étre francaise, German: Afro Germany, English: 13th
3. DON'T FORGET THAT RACISM IS HAPPENING IN EUROPE, EVERYDAY
Institutionalized racism and white supremacy are actual problems in all European countries. Black face is still a 'tradition' that happens every year in the Netherlands (zwarte Piet), being praised by almost every head of the government. White terrorist Tobias Rathjen who murdered 11 people of color because of their skin (Hanau, February 2020) was described by the German police as 'a German with a hunting license who is mentally unstable' (a fucking terrorist!!!!). And there are many more examples that you can find in each country here, showing how deeply rooted the racism is.
OPEN YOUR EYES TO ANTI-BLACKNESS
(Western) European countries often have many different ethnic groups living there. Although racism and white supremacy affects all non-white communities (in different ways), Anti-Blackness refers to the ways in which specifically and uniquely Black people are targeted. Understand that difference as a person of color who is non-black.
Start paying attention to coded language. What do white people mean when they talk about "good neighborhoods" or "good schools"? "Underdeveloped"? "Articulate"? Pay attention to both micro- and macro sociological levels. Who gets credit for trends and who ACTUALLY started them? What elements of black culture are celebrated and which are being ridiculed? Together we have to dismantle the systems of oppression that continue to threaten Black lives in both visible and hidden ways.
Accept and acknowledge that we all make mistakes and sometimes can say something racist, even if it was never your intention. But it's not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about the effort that you put into educating yourself and others around you so we can all grown & (un)learn. Nobody is born 'woke', especially not in a racist society. But with the endless (free) sources like the internet, you have no excuse to not educate yourself.
"YOU ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR BECOMING MORE ETHICAL THAN THE SOCIETY YOU CREW UP IN"
Most important: don't automatically go to all the black people you know for free education. Do not put the labor on black people to educate you. Listen, don't labor. Listen to recources from black authors, activists, podcasters, etc. Don't invalidate a black person's experience, don't talk over them. simply LISTEN.
4. PASS IT ON This part is probably the most important part. Silence is an immense privilege and can even imply agreement. Call people out when they say something racist. Recognize your privilege and use it for the greater good. Stand up in situations of injustice and do not stay silent.
- Pass it on to your family members, have that scary talk. For white Europeans: Acknowledge your privilege as a white person and help the white people around you to become aware of that too.
- Call racist behavior out. Friends, strangers, in the media, everywhere. But also; be open for others doing the same with you. Again, it's to make mistakes but it's not ok deny that and repeat that mistake. Remember: no growth without discomfort.
- Stop appropriation. Stop picking apart pieces of black culture for your convenience, profit and social currency.
ASK BLACK PEOPLE HOW THEY FEEL, AND LISTEN TO THEM! THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING AN ALLY AND SPEAKING FOR A MINORITY. SOMETIMES ALL WE NEED TO DO IS LISTEN. DON'T INVALIDATE THEIR EXPERIENCE. AIM FOR EMPATHY.
'THIS IS HISTORY IN REAL TIME. IF YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING UP AGAINST THE EVILS AMONGST US, YOU'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY."
I am fully aware that there is much more to say and do than I wrote down here, so feel free to comment more suggestions. I limited most of the examples to a the Netherlands, Germany and France, simply because I only speak these three languages and I did not want to insert wrong information caused by language barrier / lack of knowledge of the situation in some European countries. But I invite you all to share tips & suggestions for your own country so you can help too :)" End id]
tangentwithtanner
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
andulkaphoto
germansingergirl
