Black Lives Matter

 As two young black men we can never allow ourselves to become desensitized to the senseless killings of our brothers and sisters.

The names listed below are only some of those that have had their lives tragically taken as a result of police brutality, a racist broken system and unprovoked racist attacks. Events involving racial hatred and injustice against black people are far too frequent. Some of the names you may or may not have heard but, we implore you to type in their names and read their individual stories. Understand that there is a different person behind each of these names. The one thing they do have in common is the colour of their skin, they are all black.

Adrian Thompson	Botham Jean	Dominique Clayton
Ahmuad Arbery	Breonna Taylor	Eric Garner
Aston McLean	Christopher Alder	Eric Reason
Belly Mujinga	Damilola Taylor	Ezell Ford
Bettie Jones	Demetre Frazer	George Floyd
Joy Gardner	OlaSeni Lewis	Stephan Lawrence
Leon Briggs	Philando Castile	Tamir Rice
Leon Patterson	Sandra Bland	Tanisha Anderson
Mark Duggan	Sarah Reed	Trayvon Martin
Natasha McKenna	Sheku Bayoh	Trevor Belle

 

This list is not exhaustive but provides the names of just some of the countless killings of black people, simply because of the colour of the skin.

At VSMINE we are donating to;

Grassroot organisations in the UK

 Who focusing on early intervention for young people in our communities. Early intervention program for young people living in London

The Families of

Belly Mujinga, Ahmuad Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trevor Belle & George Floyd

However, donating is not the only way to help the cause. You can; sign petitions, share resources, challenge racial opinions and more importantly educate others and yourselves. Below you can find a small list of resources to help start or continue your journey.

Petitions to sign

Justice for George Floyd 

Justice for Emerald Black

Justice for Ahmuad Arbery

Justice for Belly Mujinga

Justice for Breonna Taylor

Hands up act

Black Lives Matter

 

Books

Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch

Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga

Natives Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala

The Good Immigrant, edited by Nikesh Shukla

Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri

A practical guide to racism by C.H. Dalton

Black Skin,White Masks by Frantz Fanon

The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Assata by Assata Shakur

The Black Library by Nicole Crenstil |@nkrystal_

Black owned (businesses) book shops to support 

New Beacon Shops | @newbeaconbooks 

Jacaranda Books | @Jacarandabooks 

Books of Africa | @Books_Of_Africa

Book Love Shop | @thisisbooklove

African Books Collective | @Afbkcollective 

Ayebia Publishing |  @AyebiaClarke

No Ordinary Bookshop | @noordbookshop

Round Table Books | @BooksRound

Donate

Trevor Belle

Belly Mujinga 

Reach Out Project

Grass Roots Law Project

Black Protest Legal Support UK 

Watch and Listen

 Martin Luther King in Newcastle (1967) with thoughts on Racism in the US and UK 

Broadwater Farm Documentary 

BBC Notting Hill Doc Series (1989) a three-part series, looking at the Notting Hill Carnival and the local communities relationship with the Police.

Television and Film

13TH

When they see us

The Hate you give

Dear White People

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Explained: The racial wealth gap

Seven Seconds

Fruitvale station

American Son

Strong Island

It may seem easy to fall into the trap of desensitizing yourself but keep pushing, stay open and keep learning. 

These lists are non-exhaustive and can be expanded. If you have any suggestions to add to the lists above please email us at info@vsmine.co.uk or message us @vsmine. Let’s keep the conversation going.

VSMINE