Jun 2

Black Lives Matter

by Team Whering

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image: @sindisokhumalo

This is not about what you ‘call’ yourself or how you ‘perceive’ yourself, it’s about the actions that bring change to this world, whether using your spending power for good, by lending a helping hand or spreading awareness from your platform.

If you feel you need to put in the work, navigate the below list (we certainly are).

Break the echo-chamber: follow those that bring a different perspective (consume content from people that are not like you and don’t be performative).

Look inwards to understand your own privilege (but also your access? Ignorance? Apathy?). Use the latter to drive lasting change; you can’t change the background you were born into but you can choose to make everyday decisions that support others (you are not entitled). Talk to the people you love (bring those without social media to the conversation) and help erase misinformation (grassroots is sometimes the best form action).

Unlearn what society has taught you about race (and please avoid sharing content which is traumatic). Understand that you will never understand what others have gone through but re-educate yourself, embrace different experiences, cultures, and above all - rethinking how your own experiences matter in light of these stories.

Speak up (but don’t centre this around yourself) and fight the status quo by demanding justice, in all walks of life (introspection first, then your social circle, family, workplace etc.) - even if it costs you. You might say and do the wrong thing sometimes and that’s okay - “when you slip up and are called out on it, don’t trip over yourself to try to prove how un-racist you are”. Just move on, but take time to “explore why that happened and carry that with you in future” (@das.penman).

If you need anything new, consider supporting a business owned by POC first (we’ve got a good list below and on our IG stories).

Donations are a great way to put your money where your mouth is (if you can - but don’t just donate now because it’s trendy, choose something you care about long term i.e. keep supporting after the outrage). “It should not take an act of brutality or the vitality of a situation for you to suddenly show your support” (@mireillecharper).

Learn

Books

Films + TV

  • Just Mercy⁣⁣
  • The 13th
  • Get Out⁣⁣
  • When They See Us⁣⁣
  • Dear White People
  • Freedom Writers⁣⁣
  • The Central Park Five ⁣⁣⁣
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • Just Mercy
  • Hidden Figures⁣
  • The House I Live In⁣⁣⁣⁣
  • ReMastered: The Lion’s Share⁣
  • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
  • Hollywood
  • The Rachel Divide
  • In My Blood It Runs⁣

Support Black Businesses

Cookbooks

  1. Original Flava @originalflava
  2. Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen by @ghanakitchen
  3. Hibiscus by Lopè Ariyo @lopeariyo
  4. Ethiopia by Yohanis Gebreyesus @chef_yohanis
  5. Belly Full by Riaz Phillips @Belly.full ✨

Food & Drink

  1. Chikas snacks @chikasfoods
  2. Grazing Boxes @berryandbrie
  3. Yard Confectionary @yardconfectionery
  4. Cabby’s Rum @cabbysrum
  5. Cham Cham hot pepper sauce @nimsdin
  6. @patandpinkys
  7. @theblackfarmer ✨

Fashion & Accessory brands

  1. Wales Bonner: menswear and womenswear @walesbonner
  2. Casely-Hayford: suits @caselyhayfordlondon
  3. Daughter of a Bohemian: upcycled pieces and workshops @daughterofabohemian
  4. Daily Paper: menswear and womenswear @dailypaper
  5. Aaks: basket bags @a.a.k.s
  6. Martine Rose @martine_rose
  7. Nubian Skin @nubianskin
  8. Sincerely Nude @sincerelynude

Beauty & Haircare Brands

  1. Liha Beauty: skin oils, shea butters @LihaBeauty
  2. BeautyStack: discover and book treatments @beautystack
  3. Bouclème: afro and curly hair products @boucleme
  4. Afrocenchix: Hair products @afrocenchix
  5. The Afro Hair and Skin Company: shampoo bars, hair masks, face masks @afrohairandskinco
  6. @radswan (launching soon) ✨

Home & Lifestyle

  1. Prick: cacti and plantcare @prickldn
  2. Bespoke Binny @bespokebinny
  3. New Beacon Books : Specialists in African and Caribbean Literature @newbeaconbooks
  4. Bonita Vie Stationary @bonitaivieprints
  5. Reset Travel @Resettravel ✨

Publications / Platforms

  1. @galdemzine
  2. @theirinjournal
  3. @womenwho
  4. @forworkingladies
  5. @thy.self
  6. @blackgirlfest
  7. @azeemamag
  8. @modernlit
  9. @prim.black

Community Groups

  1. Milk & Honey
  2. Generating Genius
  3. Pem People
  4. The Reach Out Project
  5. Step Now
  6. More Talk More Action
  7. Brixton Soup Kitchen
  8. 4Front

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