From Direct Action to Direct Support
Direct Support to Black Lives Matter organizers is a critical role allies can shoulder in the struggle for Collective Liberation.
Last year, I was spending much of my time participating in direct action. I was placed under arrest 10 times. I felt good about myself and felt I was doing good to advance the movements I cared about. However, as I would soon learn, there was still so much I could do, and so much to be discovered.
During that period, thanks to many generous movement mentors and elders, I would gain a clearer picture of movement spaces. I would begin to understand the timeline and labor required to execute a direct action campaign. I had yet to realize how many other components went into movement work. So much important and critical work happens behind the scenes for the success of a movement. It’s just not all as visible as direct action.
Risking arrest for the cause is something I hope many are willing to consider when the time comes — AND currently there are under-supported areas of movement work that need the attention of allies. I have found myself gravitating towards these spaces — curious to learn more and excited to find new and creative ways to support.
What I found was the Movement for Black Lives in DC. I have been in complete admiration and just utterly blown away by how committed the organizers of Black Lives Matter DC are to their work. They remain incredibly centered, focused, and generous. They have accomplished so much this year despite limited resources, limited time, and limited support and understanding on the political left.
In the past year, BLM DC has hosted, organized, or supported:
- Monthly General Assemblies & Open Houses which have brought countless DC residents a better understanding of their work.
- Weekly Black Joy & Emotional Emancipation Circles are spaces for Black people to come together and process racial stress and oppression.
- The Night Out for Safety and Liberation, which galvanized and expanded my concept of community safety outside of the typical idea that centers and relies upon the police.
- The weekly #TerrenceSterling campaign to hold the police accountable murdering the 31-year old Black man over a year ago.
- The fight to ensure key provisions of the NEAR Act (Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act) passed the DC Council, was budgeted, and continued to be properly administered by the DC Mayor.
- The Warm Clothing Drive to ensure their community was sufficiently outfitted for the winter.
- The Shutdown of the Inauguration. BLM DC was an integral member of a local organizing coalition responsible for making it nearly impossible for Trump supporters to access the inauguration parade route.
- A contingent of activists who participated in the Counter Protest in Charlottesville on August 12th were trained and led by BLM DC organizers — just one of the many direct action trainings led this year.
Direct Support of Black Lives Matter Organizers
These talented and dynamic BLM organizers are doing this work in their free time. They are not paid, yet effect more change in DC than many in DC government who make six figures. The BLM organizers I have come to know, love, and respect are incredibly impactful leaders of the Movement for Black Lives in DC. I am constantly in awe of their approach and ability to create movement spaces that are inclusive, non-disposable, non-oppressive, and centering of the most directly impacted.
This is a genuinely special group of leaders whom I wish to maximize their impact. Just like me, they have limited time to devote to this work. I wish for them the autonomy to lead the movement rather than spend their time trying to financially sustain the movement. I believe, as an aspiring ally, this means radically new and brave ways of fundraising.
Fundraising for Black Lives Matter
When I see BLM organizers raising money for the movement, I see an opportunity to shift not only resources, but shift the burden of marshaling those resources. I see fundraising as a piece of movement work that is absolutely essential, yet not necessarily inherently Black. Yet, this is and area where white allies have yet to put much emphasis and support. I have observed:
- A BLM Organizer taking time to fundraise to sustain their work and other’s means less time to lead and advance the movement.
- White allies and Non-Black persons of color who identify as allies are generally better positioned to fundraise, due to generally deeper access into wealth networks.
- The risk for allies is lower with a higher rate of return. As white allies, we can make bold asks of folks of wealth that we know. Relationally, we risk much less with a much higher rate of return on that risk investment.
Finding Creative Ways to Ask for Money
Yes, the idea of asking people for money is something that doesn’t come easy to any of us. We may have been avoiding this piece of the work because it’s so daunting. But in the spirit of Halloween, let’s embrace the scary and get creative! We can:
- Organize our friends and family to give in the lead up to the holidays and our birthdays. A few weeks before, we can send out an ask for donations in lieu of presents. (see Direct Giving options at the bottom of this article).
- Hold a fundraiser at the next holiday party.
- Attend the an upcoming Showing Up For Racial Justice Fundraising Training by following SURJ DC’s Facebook Page or locate and contact the local SURJ Chapter near you.
- Follow and share the requests for direct funding for organizers of color on the “Fund Solidarity” Facebook page.
Direct Service & Material Support
There are a bunch of ways that I have seen allies step forward and offer direct support. There are also a lot of ways we haven’t yet stepped up, and many more creative ways to be tried. Some ways I’ve seen, for example:
- Providing childcare. Opening the doors of the movement to parents.
- Offering to be a collection point for clothing drives.
- Offering rides or to refill a bus/rail/subway/metro pass.
- Offering free spaces, catering, setup, and clean up for movement events.
- Offering pro-bono mental health and wellness services.
- Offering to donate a phone when upgrading to a new one.
- Offering to donate a computer or tablet.
- Closing a meeting with an ask to give to a specific organizer (see below).
Here are are some examples of creative ideas organizers have proposed for aspiring allies to directly support:
- Sharing your skills. Inventory your own skills as an individual or as part of your organization. If you have a skill that may free up a BLM Organizer’s time, offer it.
- Reducing their recurring monthly expenses. Offer to cover a recurring bill for a BLM organizer. Just like us, they pay for water, electric, gas, cable, cell phone each month.
- Seeking out opportunities for BLM organizers. Providing your time and utilize your connections to institutions and wealth to build support networks for organizers looking for a client, job, or other work and who might be interested in paid for their skills as a speaker, facilitator, and trainer. Once an opportunity is found, advocate for the highest rate possible.
- Engaging with national organizations and corporations based in your city that currently don’t give to Black Lives Matter. Ask them why they don’t. Ask them to give some of their corporate social responsibility dollars.
- Reducing monthly rent for BLM organizers for housing — whether its approaching landlords, or offering a reduced rate/free room in your house.
- Boost on social media. Promote events and movement building activities that center local POC organizers. If you have Twitter or Facebook, then you can share and re-tweet asks for funding, BLM news stories, and live feeds from events to boost visibility.
- Offer to take behind-the-scenes logistics off their plate. Right now for example, BLM DC organizers have logistics for t-shirts and merchandise that take time to inventory, order, and lug around to events for sales. If a white ally offered to get their shirts ordered and understood the requirements of where they needed to be for events, and where the proceeds needed to go from the sales, that could be more time preserved for the BLM organizer’s other responsibilities.
- Use our networks to ask restaurants and individuals with big grocery budgets to pledge to cook for one or more organizers each week.
- Offer to pay outstanding parking tickets, citations, or fines.
- Donate your land, your business, and other major assets to BLM organizers — no questions asked, no strings attached.***
*** To be absolutely clear, I am not advocating for anyone to do these things without consent and communication with an accountable ally and without first considering the commitment they’re making.
“No question asked” means giving with absolutely no entitlement to the recipient’s time. “No strings attached” might mean no credit or even a “thanks” for your giving. We are confidently giving with zero expectations for appreciation.
Our Direct Support now makes effective Direct Action possible later
One day we will be called to step into the streets, put our bodies on the line, and maybe even risk arrest or bodily harm. In preparation for that day the direct support we give helps build relationships, build community, and build trust that is required in any movement whose aim is collective liberation.
When I face arrest during a Direct Action, I want folks by my side who are committed one another, love one another and support one another. We want it to be no different in the rest of movement work we do, and especially with Direct Support. I now understand that it’s the less visible and less glorified ways we show up that need our attention now — so we’re all ready, resourced, and supported when the time comes to take to the streets.
If any of these ideas appeal to you, feel free to contact me via Facebook Messenger so we can talk through the specifics before we take the idea to an organizer. We want Direct Support to lessen the burden as much as possible.
You Can Give Directly Right Now:
There are a lot of ways we spend money during the holidays and many ways to generously give. Please consider giving to the activists on this list and sharing with your friends:
