Black Lives Matter: Supporting the Black community

Here at Erika Lust Films, we would like to express our solidarity with the Black community and the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand with everyone fighting against systemic racism and police brutality, and recognise the ways in which we can also do better individually and as a company.

Personally, I know I have a lot of listening and learning to do before I will know how to make a difference in this fight. As a company we will continue to educate ourselves, support a greater diversity within our own work, and acknowledge that there is still so much more to be done. We know that change must happen, and it must happen now. This work will be ongoing and it will take time. To start, I am reading, I am listening and I am supporting. I have chosen three organisations to donate to. Please explore these charities and other Black organisations and please donate to them if you are financially able to.

AAPF #SayHerName

The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) is an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality. Launched in December 2014, the #SayHerName campaign calls attention to police violence against Black women, girls and femmes, and demands that their stories be integrated into calls for justice, policy responses to police violence, and media representations of police brutality.

Check out their work and donate if you can here.

Snap4Freedom

This is a Black trans and queer led collaborative that builds the power to wage and win campaigns that force systemic divestment from the prison complex and investment into community support. Their mission is grounded in a commitment toward ending the mass crisis of passive genocide, incarceration, and criminalisation of Black trans women, trans & queer people, and the larger Black community.

Read more about the collaborative and donate if you can here.

NAACP

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons. They are working to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.

Read more about their mission and donate if you can here.

I recognise that my work does not end with these donations and I know that everyday action is required to build a diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist community — both for our workplace and our broader community. This week, I will not be promoting any of my own work on my blog or social channels, to give more space for and to help amplify the voices within the Black Lives Matter movement. To help you along your own learning journey I would also like to share some resource lists that I am working my way through:

Rachel Ricketts’ Anti Racism Resources

10 Books About Race Non-Black People Should be Reading Right Now

Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Reading List by Layla F Saad

Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide

Several Anti Racist Books Are Selling Out. Here’s What Else Black Booksellers and Publishers Say You Should Read

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

I Want to be an Ally but I Don’t Know What to Do: A Resource Guide

I invite you to please use the comments below to share more resources that you have found helpful.

Love & solidarity,

Erika Lust