Here Are 7 Organizations Accepting Donations in the Fight for Black Lives
The United States of America are currently in the middle of an uprising. Not only has the death-by-police-officer of George Floyd in Minneapolis shined yet another light on the injustice, racism and police brutality faced by our Black brothers and sisters, but Americans everywhere are rising up to make their voices heard. In major cities across the country, protests demanding justice and rebuking a broken criminal justice system took place throughout the weekend, and will likely continue.
There are many ways to join the movement, the most obvious being putting your feet on the ground and stepping up to participate in protests taking place in your own backyard. But that’s not the only way to take part. Not everyone is able to protest in-person, particularly as COVID-19 continues to ravage some of the country’s most vulnerable populations. For those who are able, donating to organizations doing impactful work for creating a better America is also valuable.
Here are just a few organizations accepting donations in the fight to support Black lives and push back against racism, injustice and police brutality:
The Black Lives Matter global network is at the forefront of the current fight being waged in America, pushing back against state-sanctioned violence, ending white supremacy and supporting the liberation of Black people. Donations can be made here.
With the ultimate goal of ending pretrial and immigration detention, the National Bail Fund Network is a network of more than 60 local bail and bond funds, and your donation can be given to specific community funds. On the org’s website you’ll find a list of bail funds by state and city, and there’s also a COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
Another bail fund for protesters who can’t afford to post it is The Bail Project, a national organization that posts bail in many different cities. 100% of donations — which can be set up as one-time or monthly payments — go towards bringing people home. And because of how the bail process works (it’s returned upon a case being closed), each dollar donated is able to be spent more than once per year.
And yet another bail fund — this one aimed at supporting our LGBTQ community specifically — is the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, which also accepts donations either on a one-time basis or weekly/monthly/annually. LGBTQ people are more than three times as likely to be jailed, and many of them cannot afford bail. For those who need it, the org also connects those it assists with case management, medical, legal and social services.
Colin Kaepernick founded the Know Your Rights Camp to support education initiatives in black and brown communities, though now it has an initiative focused on hiring defense attorneys for victims of police brutality and those protesting against it in Minnesota.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded 100 years ago this year, in 1920, to take a stand against civil liberties abuses. In the ACLU’s own words, “The deaths of Michael Brown, Dontre Hamilton, Eric Garner, Scott Walker, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray are all grim reminders that there are two kinds of policing in America today: one to serve and protect the white community and one to criminalize and control the Black community.” (I would add Black trans man Tony McDade’s name to that list.)
In addition to donating toward the ACLU’s fight against racialized policing, police use of force, police militarization and infringements of the First Amendment, the org also provides “know your rights” resources for protesters and anyone looking to exercise their civil rights. The ACLU’s Minnesota Chapter can also be donated to directly.
In the long term, ensuring that every American vote counts in local, state and federal elections is another important consideration, and the organization Fair Fight, founded by Stacey Abrams, is dedicated to ending voter suppression and encouraging progressive candidates.
Not everyone is able to donate right now, but for those who are able, each of these organizations accepting donations are doing valuable work in the fight for equality.
This article’s cover photo depicts a stand-off between demonstrators and police officers in Cincinnati on May 31, 2020; photo courtesy Getty Images
This article was originally published on June 1, 2020.
