Compiled Resource lists:

• Scaffolded Resources for different levels of Anti-racism work for white people
• Resources for Accountability and Actions for Black Lives- Movement4BlackLives
   

Articles:

• The American Nightmare- Ibram X Kendi
• How to be a good white ally, according to activists

If “police / prison abolition” are new terms for you, they might seem grand, impossible, or scary. There have been incredible Black leaders, thinkers, authors, and organizers working on this for generations. It is wonderful to be able to learn from them, and center their voices, as we also see this moment as one of possibility and making big demands. Quakers have long been called to abolition and prison reform work, and orgs like AFSC have been on the side of recognizing the brokenness of this system, and have also been working towards and calling for prison abolition for decades. What steps can you take towards understanding and working out your role in the call for prison and police abolition?

Read:

• Building a Police-Free Future: Frequently Asked Questions by MPD150- ZINE
• Alternatives to Police “Imagine series”
• Marième Kaba Comic on Prison Abolition called “Who’s Left” 
• Ruth Wilson Gilmore “Is prison Necessary:”- Article
• Angela Davis’ “Are Prisons Obsolete?”- Book
• Beyond Prisons- A new interfaith paradigm for our failed prison system- Book
• Curated collection on Police Abolition from The Marshall Project
• How People on the Outside Can Support the Political Work of People on the Inside
• A Quaker Call to Abolition and Creation

Watch / Listen

• Throughline Podcast on the History of American Police
• What does ‘Defund the Police’ mean? KPBS Podcast
• Junauda Petrus Reads Her Poem: Give The Police Departments to the Grandmothers
• Democracy Now: with Amy Goodman and Ruth Wilson Gilmore on Prison Abolition and COVID-19.

Other Resources:

• An Interfaith Abolitionist Call to Action
• RISK, COURAGE AND DISCERNMENT: SPIRITUAL PREPARATION – Elizabeth Nguyen
• https://www.8toabolition.com/ PDF Intro to 8 to Abolition

Who to follow:

• Instagram: @MPD_150 , @reclaimtheblock @criticalresistance

In this movement we want to honor the ways BIPOC* folks need rest, grounding, and care, and know that looks different for every person. That might be taking space away from people, that might be a day off work, that might be showing up at the protest, that might be spending time with comrades, that might forming a cocoon of protection, making space for joy, creating art, isolating, taking a break from social media etc etc. All are super valid ways of caring for yourself.

For white folx looking at this section- do you have resources or services you can give to BIPOC in your community? Are you a type of healer or therapist that can offer free sessions? Do you own a restaurant or have capacity to make food for people? Check your resources, gifts, and strengths, and see how they can be reallocated towards people on the front lines and those experiencing heightened racial trauma at this moment.

Here are a few resources for Black healing / meditation / wellness-

• Healing Resources for BIPOC Organizers & Allies Taking Action for Black Lives
• Rest as RESISTANCE- Podcast interview with Tricia Hersey
• @blackmentalwellness
• @therapyforblackgirls
• @theNapMinistry
• @abucketforthewell
• Ten Minute Guided Meditation video by Dr. Amanda Kemp

*BIPOC- Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Here are some resources or places to start-

• Help Your Meeting Challenge Racism
• Quaker Meetings Toolbox — Spiritual Education: Eldering, Inclusion, Racism and More
• Baltimore Yearly Meting- WORKING GROUP ON RACISM

Here are some ideas and resources for that-

• Send some of these resources to your family and ask to have a conversation about it, or better yet, set up a regular call for this work.
• Send a video or article to family or friends and ask them to reflect with you.
• Watch a movie, or engage with BIPOC art and stories with your family / community, and talk about it after.
  • Just Mercy was just released online for free!
  • 13th
• Ask your family about their experience of race, and listen. Also, share your experience and perspective of why this is important work to you.
• Ask family member to join you in an action / match your donation to a solidarity bail fund or racial justice org.
• (if it feels safe and possible for you) Don’t write people off, this is recreating systems and cycles of disposability politics that mirror the carceral state, and mass incarceration which views humans as disposable.

Diversify your feed and hear about experiences voices, perspectives that are not your own. On social media if you like an account, see who they follow, explore and go from there. Share BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) created art and content. Here are some accounts to follow and explore, share and navigate from:

 Instagram: @Mvmnt4blklives @sonyareneetaylor @chaninicholas @adriennemareebrown @nowhitesaviours @seedingsovereignty @miamingus @blklivesmatter @riseindigenous @theconsciouskid @lizzobeating @rowenwhite AND SO MANY MORE 

Twitter: @deray @deibram @MsPackyetti @samsway

Comment or @Quakerservice with more to add to this list!

How to Support Black-Owned Restaurants Right Now- Growing list of Black owned restaurants in major cities around the country, look up what is near you that you can support also!

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Minneapolis / St.Paul
• Philadelphia
• Portland, OR

Here are some resources about how to do that safely and effectively: 

• How to Protest Safely: What to Bring, What to Do, and What to Avoid
• Resources for documenting police abuse, protesting, and scrubbing data
• Advice For a New Protester 

(click the images below for links to these Instagram tutorials)

Here are some resources-

• Tell your governor: Invest in communities, not policing!
• Stand with Protestors: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement
• NAACP Actions to contact your Congressional Representatives
• If your city has arrests at protests, call the Mayor, Governor, and District Attorney demanding that they release and drop charges against arrested protestors.
• Show up or call in to city council meetings, budget hearings, learn about how your city funds community programs vs the police and ask for resources to be reallocated. 
• Talk to your organization leadership, ask what they are doing to recognize and shift their work towards racial justice and equity.

Potential script / text to use for calls to local officials-

• Hi, My name is ____ from ______ and I am calling on behalf of ______ and all other victims of police brutality in my community. I demand that the police department resources be re-allocated towards building and reinvesting in community wellness. I demand that all cases of police brutality be reopened and that all officers proven guilty be arrested and charged for their crimes. Being Fired is not enough. Please use your power and influence to bring justice in our community. Thank you.
• Add why this is important to you.

Justice orgs that need financial support right now-

• George Floyd Memorial Fund
• The Movement for Black Lives
• BYP 100
• National Police Accountability Project
• Black Visions Collective
• Look up a local mutual aid funds that support folks in your community, particularly communities of color.

Solidarity Bail Funds which support the release of protesters who have been arrested-

• DIRECT LINKS TO JAIL SUPPORT PROGRAMS IN YOUR TOWN
• Split your bail fund donation between 60+ orgs at once here
• For our folks on the front-lines: Bail funds across the South
• #solidaritybailfund

If you find yourself with access to wealth or class privilege and would like resources about how effectively catalyze, check out Resource Generation.