Compiled by Students for Eliminating Environmental Discrimination (SEED), an environmental justice group at Lewis & Clark Law School.
Last updated: June 9, 2020 by SEED Board 2020-21
Right now, we must all show up not as environmentalists, but as individuals who are anti-racist. Showing up does not mean that you have to demonstrate in person. That is only one avenue. Other methods are: listening to Black voices and using your privilege to amplify—not speak over—them; donating if you are able; educating yourself via books, podcasts, and documentaries; having conversations with friends and family members about what it means to be anti-racist; confronting your own unconscious biases; and speaking up when you witness racial injustices.
We’ve created an extensive, though certainly not exhaustive, list of BLM resources. Please feel free to share it. We intend to update this regularly. If you have resources you’d like to see added, email us at seedlaw@lclark.edu.
EDUCATE
Read
- Intergenerational BLM letter you can send to those in your family who didn’t grow up in the U.S. Although this letter is from 2016, it is a great starting point for a necessary and often difficult conversation.
- Translations: Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Hindi, Hmong (Green and White dialect), Farsi, French, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese
- Black Revolutionary Texts (free!)
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
- America’s Original Sin by Wallis
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- Good Talk by Mira Jacob
- Blindspot by Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony Greenwald
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- How Does it Feel to be a Problem by MoustafaBayoumi
- The Fire this Time by Jesmyn Ward
- I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
- When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Asha Bandele
- An African American and Latinx History of the U.S. by Paul Ortiz
- Citizen by Claudia Rankine
- An Indigenous People’s History of the U.S. by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- Mindful of Race by Ruth King
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
- This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell
- Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By B.D. Tatum
- The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
- Have Black Lives ever Mattered? By Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
- How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism, Robin DiAngelo
- Are Prisons Obsolete? By Angela Davis
- An Intersectionality by Kimberlé Crenshaw
- Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman Jr.
- Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Listen (based on a list by Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa Klein)
Watch
- 13th (2016)
- Black Panthers (2015)
- The Black Power Mixtape (2011)
- The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
- Just Mercy (2019)
- When They See Us (Netflix Miniseries) (2019)
- Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap (2018)
- Who Killed Malcolm X? (2020)
- Time: The Kalief Browder Story (2017)
- LA 92 (2017)
- Teach Us All (2017)
- Rodney King (2017)
- Pose (2018)
- Whose Streets? (2017)
- Stranger Fruit (2017)
- Crime + Punishment (2018)
- 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets (2015)
- Kiki (2016)
- Baltimore Rising (2017)
- Traffic Stop (2017)
- Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland (2018)
- 4 Little Girls (1997)
- Kareem: Minority of One (2015)
- Do the Right Thing (1989)
- Selma (2014)
- Queen & Slim (2019)
- Fruitvale Station (2013)
DEMONSTRATE
Wear/Bring/Do
- Eye covers (if possible, airtight goggles)
- Face covering (COVID-19 and protect your identity)
- Gloves
- Tie your hair up
- A friend. Have an offsite plan in case of emergencies or separation
- Nondescript clothing covering distinctive tattoos, piercings, hair--anything that could easily identify you
- Write important phone numbers in permanent marker on your skin, such as:
- Do NOT Wear/Bring/Do
- Contact lenses
- Make-up. Mace and tear gas cling to make-up oils
- Phone without turning off Face/Touch ID (cops may delete content or find something incriminating)
- Anything you don’t want to be arrested with
- If attacked with mace or tear gas
- Do NOT rub or touch the areas affected. This aggravates irritation
- Do NOT put milk directly in your eyes. This can lead to infection
- Use goggles or close your eyes until the milk is rinsed off
- When you get home, immediately remove all of your clothes and seal them in a bag for later decontamination, and take a cold shower that is at least 20 min long
- These chemicals get on EVERYTHING. Isolate items ASAP
- Soak your face in one part dish soap, three parts water, and submerge your face for 15 seconds at a time WITHOUT rubbing your skin
- If you were arrested while protesting
- Call National Lawyers Guild PDX Protester Jail Support: 503-902-5340
- NLG Know Your Rights booklet (English, Arabic, Bengali, Urdu, Spanish)
- Do NOT talk to police: If a cop tries to talk to you, ask “Am I free to go?” and try to walk away. If they don’t let you walk away, it’s safest to say: “I don’t want to answer any questions. I want to talk to a lawyer.” Say it loud for witnesses to hear.
- If you’re arrested: Anything you say to police can be used against you. Don’twait for the cops to read you your rights, don’t explain what happened, and don’t lie. Police are legally allowed to lie, and are trained to be manipulative. The only thing you should say to them is, “I don’t want to answer any questions. I want to talk to a lawyer.” The cop should stop questioning you. If they don’t, keep repeating it. You don’t have to know a lawyer at this time, this phrase works by stopping them questioning you.
- Do NOT consent to a search: Any time the policy try to search you, or your bag, say: “I do not consent to this search.” This may not stop a search, but it could get evidence thrown out in court later. Do not physically resist a search, because you could get hurt and charged with assault. Keep saying it, loudly enough for witnesses to hear.
- If you are monitoring the police: Say, “I am here to observe. I do not intend to interfere.” If they tell you to move away ask, “Where do you want me to stand?” It is lawful to observe the police. Get officer’s names, ID number (DPSST#), and details about the incident. Report to NLG Hotline.
- Harm Reduction: In any police interaction, keep your hands in view, make no sudden movements, and do not reach into your pockets or bag. If you are arrested or searched do not physically resist. Never touch the police or their equipment.
- If you are the victim of police use of force: Document injuries right away and see a healthcare provider. You may wish to take action- you can file a complaint with the Independent Police Review Division to file a lawsuit.
- Call Portland General Defense Committee: 503-442-0866, pdxgdc@riseup.net
- Amanda Marshall (maclaw.law), “My office is available to represent black people in state arrested protesting in Portland Pro Bono.” (Twitter)
- To organize
- @seagsees on Instagram: “Free Offering: I’m providing video filming and/or editing for BIPOC and organization. Including fundraising videos, interview, calls to action, protest footage (properly blurred). Also can offer photo blurring and data organization/storage. DM or email Kyle at SeattleFilm2020@gmail.com”
WRITE & SIGN
Petitions
Write
$UPPORT
Organizations
Businesses
