PREVIOUSAs we mentioned, some actions carry more risk than others, especially during a pandemic. We encouraged you to take all safety precautions and to listen to best practices from their local public-health officials. Each day for the week of action represented one of our demands. We offered some ideas for you, your family, and friends to take action in your community, as well as resources to learn how. Given the public-health crisis, each idea was segmented by level of risk. Green was low risk, Yellow was medium risk, and Red was high risk. We trusted that you would make the best decisions for yourself and your community.
We Demanded Immediate Relief for Our Communities
We demanded the federal government provide direct cash payments; rent and mortgage cancellation; a moratorium on utility and water shutoffs; and a cancellation of student, medical, and other forms of debt. We demanded long-term economic solutions like a Universal Basic Income, in order to address the immediate crisis and pave the way for a just recovery that doesn’t prioritize corporations and leave our communities behind. We demanded support for the families and the lives of those we have lost and those struggling to survive now.
We asked you to:
- Donate to support the families of victims of state-sanctioned violence.
- Donate to a local mutual aid fund or the M4BL Mutual Aid Fund.
- Virtually target congressional leaders to move another stimulus package that has clear material benefits for Black people.
- Volunteer at a local mutual-aid stop.
- Run deliveries.
- Donate food.
- Open up your business to a local mutual-aid hub.
- Start or volunteer at a community garden.
- Car bloc: Popular physical-distancing tactic and a great way to “march,” all while maintaining safe physical distance in the time of COVID-19. This tactic also means you can take up even more space!
- Provide materials for protestors in your community, which includes printing materials and supplying masks and hand sanitizer.
