Hey all you cool writers and poets :)
Today, we discuss Danez Smith’s “alternate names for black boys" from his poetry collection “Don’t Call Us Dead.”
I want to dedicate this episode’s show notes to a bunch of resources for defending Black lives.
For those with money, here are some places to donate:
I Run With Maud
Justice for Breonna Taylor
In Memory of Tony McDade
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
Black Voters Matter Fund
Campaign Zero
Dream Defenders
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project
The Nina Pop Mental Health Recovery Fund
The Bail Project
Southern Poverty Law Center
Here’s a more exhaustive list of places to donate: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-for-black-lives-matter.html
For those with time, here are some things you could be doing:
Demand justice for Breonna Taylor by calling the following people:
Governor Steve Beshear’s office (502) 564-2611
District Attorney Tom Wine (502) 595-2300
Attorney General Daniel Cameron (502) 696-5300
Senator Rand Paul (202) 224-4343
Say the following: Hello, my name is [INSERT NAME], and I’m calling on behalf of Breonna Taylor. We demand that John Mattingly, Detective Brett Hankison, and Detective Myles Cosgrove be immediately charged with manslaughter and negligence. We also demand that you band “no-knock” warrants.
Keep up with your local Black Lives Matter chapter and check in with them to find information about ongoing or upcoming protests.
Sign these petitions:
Justice for Breonna by Loralei HoJay on Change.org
Justice For Big Floyd by Grassroots Law Project
Demand Justice for George Floyd NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Volunteer with Rock the Vote to help get young people registered and out to vote.
Help defund your local police department.
For those who want to learn, here are some great places to start:
Online libraries:
Anansi Archives
Gold Womyn Bilphena’s Online Library
Podcasts:
The 1619 Project
NPR’s Code Switch
The Nod
The New York Times’ The Daily
The New York Times’ Still Processing
The Read
Film and TV:
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Documentary)
13th (Documentary)
I Am Not Your Negro (Documentary)
The Pieces I Am (Documentary)
When They See Us (Docuseries)
Activists and Organizations:
Bree Newsome
Prof.Thomo
Black Women’s Studies Association
Rachel Cargle
Zellie
So You Want to Talk About…
Rewire.News
Clint Smith
Nikole Hanna Jones
Soledad O’Brien
Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Black Women Radicals
In Our Own Voice
This is by no means an exhaustive list -- hopefully, you’ve been collecting your own set of resources with the help of friends on social media. Spread the wealth, the time, and the knowledge to one another.
For your spoken-word poem for this week, take a look at Danez Smith's beautiful "Alternate Heaven for Black Boys"
Intro Song: "Garden Walk" by D. Ray
Outro Song: Mi-Lo by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/mi-lo
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/--4tHbTT97g