Passionately Grateful

What Happened To Kendrick Johnson and Why People Are Demanding Answers Even Now

On Jan. 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found in the most unusual of circumstances: upside-down and rolled up in a school gym mat. The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement asserting the ridiculous theory that Johnson must have accidentally fallen into the center of the mat while reaching for a sneaker

Some inconsistencies in the case:

the black and white gym shoe that lay on the ground below Kendrick Johnson, the one he was presumed to be reaching for, was lying on top of a pool of blood, but there was no blood on the shoe itself.

A hoodie and a pair of orange and black gym shoes were also found lying on the floor of the gym 

traces of blood on the wall nearby that wasn’t Kendricks. 

A private pathologist revealed Kendrick Johnson had suffered hemorrhaging on the right side of his neck, which meant that he likely died from blunt force trauma

the second autopsy revealed that some of Johnson’s organs were missing and in their place, his body had been stuffed with newspaper.

A whole hour of footage from the gym was missing, right at the time which would have shed light on what happened that day

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

- Donate to his family! (they're nowhere near their goal)

- Sign the petition 

SPREAD THIS AND HIS STORY!!!

Follow for more news 

#StayWoke

WE MUST BE ANTIRACIST

Resources | Bail Funds | Organizations | Tactics

I created this guide (as a white person) to collect and track the overwhelming number of resources that were being shared across social media in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by the Minneapolis Police Department. It is a growing, evolving list focused on the primary actions we/I must continually undertake to dismantle racist ideologies and policies.

I created this for myself to help facilitate the necessary work of recognizing and unlearning structural racism in all its forms and to put into practice the ideals of antiracism in everyday life. I hope it helps others. The work is never done.

Questions or additions? DM me on @ecrituria or on here

How to use this doc: DONATE: a list of black-led groups to donate to, including bail funds, campaigns to defund police departments, and ways to easily split your donation among different organizations READ: essays, books, articles, talks, interviews, speeches, and films about black life in America, including radical and academic texts; subsections on white supremacy, privilege, police brutality, etc. PROTEST: resources, tips, and tactics on how to safely attend a protest SPEAK UP: how to talk about racism and white privilege with white friends and family LINKS: Twitter threads, Instagram posts, Tumblr posts, additional resources, reading lists, etc.

DONATE

Best practices:

Consider smaller monthly/recurring donations instead of larger one-time donations.

Check to see if a particular organization is currently not accepting donations or encouraging to give to others.                      

Check if your employer has a match program for charitable donations.

Split your donation:

Donate to Justice for George Floyd on ActBlue: Progressives Everywhere has created a fund devoted to help protestors and grassroots black organizations fighting the power and systemic injustice that led to George Floyd’s death. Groups include: Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block, Black Lives Matter Global Network, and the ACLU.

Donate to Bail Funds for Protestors on ActBlue: Progressives Everywhere has created a fund devoted to help low-income people, protestors and bystanders who have been unfairly arrested and must post high cash bails (another feature of our unjust system). Groups include: Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, Louisville Community Bail Fund, The Bail Project, Chicago Community Bond Fund, Massachusetts Bail Fund, Northwest Community Bail Fund, Restoring Justice (Houston), Philadelphia Bail Fund, Michigan Solidarity Bail Fund, National Bail Out, NorCal Resist Activist Bail & ICE Bond Fund, Baltimore Action Legal Team, and Columbus Freedom Fund.

Groups to donate to:

Reclaim the Block began in 2018 and organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety. Link to donate + [Currently encouraging donations to other groups- includes list]

Black Visions Collective is a Black-led, Queer, and Trans-centering organization whose mission is to organize powerful, connected Black communities and dismantle systems of violence. We do this through building strategic campaigns, investing in Black leadership, and engaging in cultural and narrative organizing. Link to donate

NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund is the country’s top legal firm fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, it seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve justice for all. It also defends the gains and protections won over the past 75 years of civil rights struggle. Link to donate

The Poor People’s Campaign confronts the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, and militarism. As a nation, we are at a critical juncture—and we need a movement led by working people that will shift the moral narrative, impact policies and elections at every level of government, and build lasting power for poor and impacted people. Link to donate

Color of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization that helps people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 1.7 million members, they move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Link to donate

Mijente is a national hub for Latinx and Chicanx organizing that advocates on behalf of those communities as well as other oppressed communities. It has been leading the charge within Spanish language media, attempting to bring awareness and solidarity with Black-led protests and organizations. It serves as a link between many Black-led organizations and Spanish-speaking communities, participating and leading in solidarity actions in several states. Link to donate

The Bail Project is a national nonprofit organization that pays bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence. In fighting mass incarceration, they aim to secure freedom for as many people as possible and ensure equal justice for all. Link to donate

The Minnesota Freedom Fund pays criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot afford to as we seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing. [Currently not taking donations]

The North Star Health Collective is an organization that includes street medics, radical health organizers, and community health trainers. [Currently not taking donations]

National Bail Out is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration. We are people who have been impacted by cages—either by being in them ourselves or witnessing our families and loved ones be encaged. We are queer, trans, young, elder, and immigrant. Link to donate

Campaign Zero is a police reform campaign proposed by activists associated with Black Lives Matter. Link to donate

READ

Angela Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003)

Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas (2016)

Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist (2019)

Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (2010)

James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son (1955)

Natasha Lennard, Being Numerous: Essays on Non-facist Life (2019)

On whiteness/white privilege/white supremacy:

The Charlottesville Syllabus (by the University of Virginia’s Graduate Student Coalition for Liberation)

Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (2018)

Jonathan Metzl, Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland (2019)

Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (1989)

Layla F. Saad, Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor (2020)

On policing and police brutality:

Headlong: Running from COPS is a podcast that investigates “COPS”—the longest-running reality show in TV history—and its cultural impact on policing in America

Green, David G., (Editor), Institutional Racism and the Police: Fact or Fiction, published by the Institute for the Study of Civil Society, 2000

Alex S. Vitale, The End of Policing (2017)

Essays

James Baldwin, “Martin and Malcolm” (1972)

Audre Lorde, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” (1979)

W. E. B. DuBois, “Why I Won’t Vote” (1956)

Audre Lorde, “Learning from the 60s” (1982)

Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (1963)

Ali Michael and Mary C. Conge, “Becoming an Anti-Racist White Ally: How a White Affinity Group Can Help” (2009)

Film

I Am Not Your Negro (2016) is based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House. Narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, the film explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin’s reminiscences of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his personal observations of American history (Currently on Amazon Prime)

13th (currently on Netflix) is a documentary about the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States

Speeches

Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet” (1964)

Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize Speech (1993)

Videos (Interviews, Talks, & Speeches)

Toni Morrison Beautifully Answers an “Illegitimate” Question on Race (Jan. 19, 1998) | Charlie Rose (x)

White People Have a Very, Very Serious Problem - Toni Morrison on Charlie Rose (x)

Ibram X Kendi: Stamped from the Beginning (x)

How to be an Antiracist | Ibram X. Kendi (x)

Dr. Robin DiAngelo discusses ‘White Fragility’ (x)

Angela Davis on Violence and Revolution (x)

Malcolm X’s Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality (x)

PROTEST

“How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct,” Teen Vogue

The Peaceful Protest Handbook, a comprehensive guide on how to prepare, what to do, etc.

Know Your Rights | Protesters’ Rights (ACLU)

(Source: @AOC on instagram) Here’s our guide on being prepared for safe protests:

LOOK OUT FOR THINGS THAT DON’T SEEM RIGHT. There are increasing reports and investigations that white supremacists may be infiltrating these protests, breaking windows and destroying property. If anything seems off to you, DOCUMENT IT. Always check who is organizing.

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS OF GRASSROOTS BLACK ORGANIZERS. They have been at this a long time and are disciplined in the ropes of community organizing and demonstration. It IS a discipline. Follow trusted leaders whose goal has been the focused pursuit of justice. If they just showed up, that’s a red flag.

HAVE A BUDDY. Make sure someone is keeping an eye on you and check in on them.

How to Be a White or Non-Black Ally at a Rally

Amplify black voices. Don’t lead chants. Make space for Black folks to lead chants.

Don’t post photos/videos/IGlive with protesters’ faces. Protesters will face repercussions if they are identified, so blur faces and only document encounters with law enforcement.

Be a physical barrier. Use your body and your privilege to create distance between Black people and the police. The police are less likely to harm you.

Don’t provoke or antagonize the police. Black folks will face much harsher retaliation than you from the police.

Don’t police or tone down black protesters.

If someone is getting arrested, ask their name and birthdate. Share this info with organizers so they can be bailed out.

She’s known for her “blue eyes-brown eyes experiment” where she divides a group of volunteers from the blues and the browns. The minute the people walk in, the blue-eyes know they’re not welcomed. She makes them wait in a separate room, gives them shitty chairs, bad food, and shows them less respect. And (obviously) it causes all sorts of discomfort and rage, but that’s precisely her point. It doesn’t help that most blue-eyed volunteers happen to be white as well. Sometimes they get the message, sometimes they don’t and leave, sometimes crying or screaming. And Jane Elliott says that’s exactly what minorities want to do everyday of their lives, but they simply cannot do.

http://therapyforblackgirls.com