BlackLivesMatter: We demand justice for Black lives lost to police violence

“He was ours. He was love. He came from us.” These were the words spoken by Naisha Wright after the murder of her nephew, Daunte Wright, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer earlier this week. 

This is the same week — in the same county — where George Floyd’s murderer stands trial. The fact that Daunte Wright was a former student of Floyd’s ex-girlfriend speaks to how pervasive police violence is. 

This is the same week we saw footage of a seventh grader, Adam Toledo, running down a dark alley, away from the police. The chase ended with his hands in the air, and a police officer’s bullet in his chest. He was unarmed, a 13 year old.

A child.

In the past two weeks alone, five Black and Brown boys and young men have been murdered by a police state, including: 

Travon Chadwell, 18

Anthony Alvarez, 22

Iremamber Sykap, 16

We demand Justice. 

Next month marks the one year anniversary since the country took to the streets to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless other Black lives that have been lost to racism, police violence, and brutality.

These violent acts are a cruel irony as this week is the celebration of Black Maternal Health Week — a week where lawmakers, grassroots groups, and public health officials are focusing on ensuring Black mothers and children can thrive. Still, we lack action and accountability on the threat police violence poses to maternal mental health. No mother should have to get a phone call from her son, who fears for his life during a police stop, like Katie Wright did, or a phone call letting her know the unthinkable happened.

Black families, have the right to raise their children in a healthy and safe community. No one should have their children taken from them far too soon. In the words of Naisha Wright: it is “not because of a mistake. Because of a murder.” Too many Black mothers have been robbed of the opportunity to watch their kids grow, of the chance to see their kids feel safe and thrive in the world.

A new week begins on Monday. What can you do to push for next week to be different? And with it, a continued responsibility to push for a difference. We have a number of resources that can help you identify ways to take action and show support for #BlackLivesMatter

Previous posts: 

Other resources: 

Support Daunte Wright’s Family  

Photo by Dorrell Tibbs on Unsplash

We stand in solidarity with women who are fighting for human rights and democracy in Poland and Belarus. #IWD2021

Today, on this International Women’s Day, we stand in solidarity with women who are fighting for fundamental human rights, equality, and democracy in Poland and Belarus. To mark this year’s #IWD2021, women in Poland and Belarus continue to protest, facing criminal charges, jail, police brutality, and worse.

Quick scan of what has been going on in Belarus:

  • Aleksandr G. Lukashenko won re-election in August 2020 over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the wife of a jailed opposition figure. The validity of that re-election has been widely disputed. 

  • Lukashenko has cracked down on opposition, jailing key opposition leaders or forcing them into exile. 

  • Women have played a central role in the democratic opposition movement of Belarus, with leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as their emblem. Holding flowers and flags, they gather weekly, risking arrest, harassment and beating by government forces.

  • Tikhanovskaya is currently in exile and women all over Belarus continue to protest and face brutality.

Quick scan of what has been going on in Poland:

  • Women in Poland have been protesting increasing limits to access to abortion and reproductive freedom 

  • A near total ban on abortion took effect in Poland in January 2021, despite strong public opposition from the majority of people in Poland.

  • This abortion ban extends to pregnancies with fetal abnormalities. 

What we can do:

Photo by Jana Shnipelson on Unsplash

Take Action: State and federal agents are using chemical weapons against protesters

Today’s Take Action post is brought to you by Juniper Simonis.

In cities across the U.S, law enforcement agents have been deploying chemical weapons against racial justice protests. In Portland Oregon, the department of Homeland security is using tear gas and munitions smoke against protesters, medics, press, legal observers, and bystanders.  

Researchers have gathered a library of chemicals used by city, county, state, and federal law enforcement against racial justice protesters in Portland, Oregon. To date, there has been no transparency about the use of chemicals against civilians or accountability for such actions. This is not an isolated U.S. occurrence - similar tactics were recently used against protesters in Hong Kong, France, Russia, Chile, and many other countries, actions U.S. politicians routinely decry.

What can we do to halt the use of chemical weapons against protesters in the U.S.?

  • Raise awareness - if people don’t know this is happening in the U.S. and abroad, it will continue without accountability

  • Sign this letter calling for the U.S. government to halt the use of chemicals against its citizens. 

    • Call or email your senators and representatives and let them know you care about this issue. Every call counts and a critical mass of calls and pressure can lead to meaningful change, especially with Democratic majorities in Congress.

    • Continue to push our legislators and the new Biden administration to issue regulations and guidance for the Department of Homeland Security’s and other federal, state and local agencies’ use of chemicals.

Additional information on this issue:

https://www.kptv.com/news/portland-ice-facility-site-of-another-violent-clash/article_d5381038-5c6a-11eb-97e8-6bf8fa55f151.html

https://www.koin.com/news/protests/portland-protests-risk-backfiring-from-destruction/ 

What Tear Gas Does To Fish https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/what-tear-gas-does-to-fish/ 

Federal Agents Used Toxic Chemical Smoke Grenades in Portland https://theintercept.com/2020/10/10/portland-tear-gas-chemical-grenades-protests/ 

Highly Toxic" Smoke Grenades Deployed at Portland Protests https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/484862-390719-sinister-smoke and https://www.koin.com/news/protests/military-grade-hc-smoke-used-against-portland-protesters/ 

Scientists Identified a Green, Poisonous Gas Used By Federal Agents on Portland Protesters https://futurehuman.medium.com/scientists-identified-a-green-poisonous-gas-used-by-federal-agents-on-portland-protesters-5b56ac20a624 
Feds used toxic smoke grenades during summer protests in Portland https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/01/portland-researcher-finds-federal-agents-used-toxic-smoke-grenades-during-summer-protests.html and https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/jan/19/feds-used-toxic-smoke-grenades-during-summer-protests-in-portland-researcher-finds/.

Photo by Kai Dahms on Unsplash

Take Action: #Teach4BlackLives

Take Action: Offer to teach for your Black colleagues #Teach4BlackLives

As we continue to fight for fundamental human rights and for #BlackLivesMAtter, we must acknowledge that there is no business as usual, especially for our Black leaders, members and colleagues who are processing trauma while carrying the burden of teaching, research, mentorship, broader community service, and responsibilities at home. For white allies, it is challenging to know how to help in a concrete way. 

@KTElliotMicro posted an offer to do something tangible during this especially challenging time:

 
Tweet by KT Elliot: “If any of my Black colleagues need someone to teach a class, I could be available Thurs/Fri. I’d be most ready to pinch hit for Genetics (I teach an intermediate level course a lot), but I could also teach Intro Bio and Microbio…

Tweet by KT Elliot: “If any of my Black colleagues need someone to teach a class, I could be available Thurs/Fri. I’d be most ready to pinch hit for Genetics (I teach an intermediate level course a lot), but I could also teach Intro Bio and Microbiology courses pretty easily too. My DMs are open.”

 

We love this concrete way to support our Black colleagues. Here is what you can do immediately #Teach4BlackLives:

  • Offer to teach a virtual course

  • Share your teaching materials and lectures 

  • Take the service and mentorship burden off your Black colleagues

  • If you work for a funding agency, extend grant submission deadlines 

  • Order a meal for your colleague’s family

  • Support your Black students

    • First and foremost, acknowledge the trauma and grief in your classes

    • Extend or eliminate deadlines and assignments - your Black students are processing grief and trauma and having to make up missed work just puts them further behind

    • Offer extra office hours and resources to support your Black students in whatever way they need

We recognize that this in itself is not enough, and that these actions will not fix the racism and violence deeply embedded in the system. This is an immediate action for white allies to show up NOW and take some of the burden off grieving and furious Black scientists.

Take Action: Stop using cancer-causing powder by Johnson & Johnson

You may be familiar with Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based Baby Powder as a household staple. But you might not know that for decades the company suppressed the science showing the product sometimes contained asbestos and was linked to cancer in women around the world. A twitter thread with some more details can be found here. 

Despite the knowledge, the company continued selling its product globally, and targeted Black Americans with its marketing. The company has faced a slew of lawsuits from those harmed and will stop selling its baby powder in the US. But J&J baby powder remains on store shelves in the US until it runs out, and alarmingly, the company is continuing to sell its harmful product outside the US. Black Women For Wellness asked the company to cease selling their product, but the company has refused. 

Take Action:

  1. Hold Johnson & Johnson accountable for suppressing science and harming women. Sign the petition asking the company to cease selling the product globally. 

  2. Stop using Johnson & Johnson baby powder and educate your family and friends about its harms.

Photo by Isaac Mehegan on Unsplash

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