The Past Had Been Alive. The Past Had To Be Killed.

MY HOME IS ON THE LIST/LIKELY TO BE TARGETED, WHAT CAN I DO?

* it may bring you peace of mind to have a go-bag ready, just in case. A go-bag is a bag with everything in it that you need to get out a volatile situation quickly. Any bag that can be secured (buttoned or zipped) will do. In your go-bag, you should include;

- identifying documents; passport/driver’s license/asylum card/ILR certificate/British Residency permit card

- Wallet and/or banking books

- A spare charger & cable and/or a power bank

- any shelf-stable medication (tablets, inhalers etc.) if you are on medication that needs to be refrigerated, leave it in the fridge until you have to leave

- Sanitary items; toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary pads & tampons, deodorant. If you have very young children with you, you may also want to take your nappy bag.

* If you have to leave, a go-bag is a convenient way to ensure you have everything of importance with you.

* If you are being supported by an asylum seekers or refugee charity, or are a member of a gurdwara/temple, mosque, synagogue or church, reach out to your religious leaders. They may be able to provide direct support, or put you in contact with organisations or other congregants who can help. If you are friendly with your neighbours, it may be worth contacting them too.

* IN THE EVENT THAT “PROTESTORS” DO COME TO YOUR HOUSE, CALL 999 IMMEDIATELY, AND FOLLOW ANY INSTRUCTIONS THEY GIVE YOU. MOVE AWAY FROM ANY WINDOWS. DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR UNLESS INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY EMERGENCY SERVICES.

I’M AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT/CARE WORKER/NHS WORKER, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

* Contact your student welfare office/NHS Trust/agency for advice, support and referral to organisations that may be able to provide assistance

* if you live in or commute through an area that is likely to be targeted, contact your lecturers and your faculty to find out whether remote study is possible; if you work in care or as part of the NHS, find out if it is possible to change shifts.

* If it would provide peace of mind, prepare a go-bag as listed above

* Reach out to your the uni society or student’s organisation for international students or students of specific ethnic origin; they may be able to provide you with direction to resources and peer support. If your university has a Marxist or Socialist society, reach out to them for mutual aid with a travel buddy etc., for getting to and from your place of study/work

* If you are a member of a gurdwara/temple, mosque, synagogue or church, reach out to your religious leaders. They may be able to provide direct support, or put you in contact with organisations or other congregants who can help.

* If you are friendly with your neighbours, it may be worth contacting them too for assistance with travel to & from work.

* Report any racism or racialised violence you are subjected to. NHS staff have a right to refuse to treat patients who harass, abuse, threaten or insult them; if a patient is racist to you, where possible, ask another member of staff to take over their care.

PERSONAL SAFETY:

* do not leave your home unless strictly necessary. If it is necessary to leave, don’t do it alone.

* use NextDoor, WhatsApp, social media and word of mouth to avoid commuting through “protestor” road blocks, areas of active conflict etc.,

* When travelling, use Share My Location or Life360, and keep at least two people aware of your expected time of arrival at your destination with instructions to contact the police if you do not let them know you’ve made it safely

* do not directly confront any individuals involved, or allow them to bait you into becoming confrontational

* only record if it is safe. Do not record individuals directly/from up close

* Do not directly intervene. If you see violence occurring, contact emergency services and if safe to do so, record what’s happening.

ALLYSHIP & HOW TO HELP:

* if you have neighbours, friends, coworkers or acquaintances form targeted communities, reach out to them. Ask them what you can do to help them feel safe.

* If you live in an area likely to be targeted, reach out to any vulnerable people you know. If safe and possible, offer to let them shelter with you in the event they need to leave home

* If you see any incitement to violence online screenshot it; it may prove useful in the event of individual “protesters” being prosecuted

* If you see any specific areas being discussed as targets, alert anyone you know at risk in the area

* Reach out to local refugee & asylum seekers’ organisations, to organisations supporting foreign national care & healthcare workers, and to churches, mosques, gurdwaras; they may be looking for short term assistance in helping to provide for vulnerable members of their community

CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS FOR ASSISTANCE & TO SUPPORT:

* NASC Ireland; refugee & asylum seeker charity

* Doras.org; migrant, stateless persons, refugee and asylum seeker rights advocates

* Jesuit Refugee Service; religious refugee & asylum seekers charity

* Irish Refugee Council; supporting stateless displaced persons & refugees in NI & ROI

* International Student’s House (IE & UK WIDE): provides hardship funding and help to international students

* PathFinder (UK WIDE); supports international students

* Care International (GLOBAL); global carer’s charity

* Choose Love (IE & UK WIDE); charitable organisation supporting refugees and asylum seekers

* Praxis UK (UK WIDE); supporting refugees & asylum seekers

* The Runnymede Trust (IE & UK WIDE); antiracism education charity

* Migrant’s Rights Network (IE & UK WIDE); advocacy and support for migrants and refugees

* ShareTheMeal (GLOBAL); providing meals for refugees and those fleeing conflict globally

* Amnesty (IRELAND, UK & WORLDWIDE); human rights NGO

Unfortunately, I have bad (though unsurprising) news regarding the hate crime suffered by the Black Youtuber CerosTV which was highlighted here a few days ago. The cops have essentially closed it because "no one saw it and there's too much crime for us to investigate it" (Here's the video where Ceros describes the experience in his own words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPNWrtS2osc)

As a reminder, he currently has a fundraiser active to help him recover, where you can read the full story of what happened: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ceros-after-car-theft-and-attack (tw for homophobia, racism, and a graphic image of his injury). His car was ransacked, he is looking for a new place to live, and he needs surgery for lasting nerve damage.

If you can spare even just a few dollars, please, consider helping a queer Black man recover from this horrific attack. I know the economy is hard for all of us right now though, so if you can't contribute, please share the fundraiser to your blog instead.

I want to end this ask by uplifting Ceros, so here are a few of my favorite videos from him for you to check out after you've shared or donated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI8SI7Ut5KI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWsofHCfm-I

Cue Sisqo's Ode to Thongs-

Don't let this shyness fool you. This man has a whole foot fetish- literally devoted to his husband from head to toe!

Seriously though, I loved drawing this. Practicing the lighting was so fun. I struggled at first, but once I was able to gauge my light source, eureka! Now Patroclus' deep brown skin continues to be loved. And that peach. I'll never let the Patroclus Has The Yams Agenda die!

🏳️‍⚧️ A Plea for Help and Hope: 🏳️‍⚧️

Hello everyone.

We are transgender refugee struggling to survive in extremely difficult circumstances. Every day is a fight for basic necessities that many people take for granted: a safe place to sleep, food to eat, clean water to drink, and access to medical care when needed.

There have been many moments when we felt scared about what tomorrow would bring. Despite these challenges, we continue to hold onto hope and believe that kindness can change lives.

Today, we are reaching out because we cannot overcome these difficulties alone. We have a fundraiser link in our bio to help cover urgent needs including shelter, food, clean water, transportation, and medical expenses. Every donation, no matter the amount, helps bring stability, safety, and hope during a very difficult time.

If you are unable to donate, sharing or reblogging this post would mean the world to me. Sometimes a single share can reach someone who is able to help.

I also think, between reading this and The Mismeasure of Man, what bothers me as a scientist is just how BAD the science is. I'm always saying how white supremacy makes no sense. These people- mostly men, but there were plenty of women too- saw their ends, and said "how can I make something up that conveniently explains my ends?"

E.g.: I Need Slaves without Moral Dilemma -> I need to rationalize why Negroes are the choice -> Negroes are inherently inferior and will go mad with freedom without being enslaved to their superior white man, who is capable of thinking and not getting overwhelmed -> dysthesia aethiopica -> I get to keep and beat my slaves without qualm

E.g.: I am scared of Black men protesting for change -> how do I explain that them protesting is violent and antisocial to white power while getting them off the streets -> they must have schizophrenia -> I'm not racist for my beliefs, they're just crazy!

The man and the dark-skinned girl eagerly awaited joy.

Two years of relentless suffering have made smiling feel impossible. My fiancé Hamouda and I set our wedding date for May 17th, yet the day approaches without a single trace of joy.

The weight of depression and the bitterness of need are slowly consuming us.

We are reaching out for your support to secure:

A simple tent/shelter to finally unite us and grant us the privacy we’ve lost.

Basic wedding essentials just to let our families feel, even for a moment, that we are still human.

We need you now more than ever. Your kindness is the only thing standing between us and total despair.

Please support our survival: Link Here

Donate here Every 25$ makes a difference

this is my life’s work, making something scary and fun with other artists. This project was created with the help of illustrators, writers, editors, puppeteers, puppet makers, 3d modelers, musicians, sculptors, collage artists, sprite makers, animators, comic artists, voice actors, AND MORE. over 90 people have contributed to this project which after several updates now sits at over 130k words.

damn okay giving the people what they want !

The messages I have internalized about people of Asian heritage, for example, are not the same as those I have internalized for Indigenous people, and a key aspect of challenging these messages is to identify their differences and how they shape my attitudes toward various groups of color...

In this chapter, I will address the uniquely antiblack sentiment integral to white identity. In doing so, I do not wish to minimize the racism that other groups of color experience. However, I believe that in the white mind, Black people are the ultimate racial "other", and we must grapple with this relationship, for it is a foundational aspect of the racial socialization underlying white fragility."

Tomboy Blaze | Wolvermon | Watercolour, Copics and Colouring Pencils