Z104.3 & iHeartMedia Baltimore are proud to support the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a site for you to find ways to help fight racial injustice. Find action Items for meaningful change around racial justice issues in Baltimore and across the United States.
We want to support Black-Owned businesses in Baltimore. By shopping and spending with Black-owned stores, restaurants, businesses and organizations, your hard earned dollars can go directly into helping the Black community. We’re in the process of compiling a website that will host a list of businesses that are Black-owned and make it easy for you to search for Black-owned businesses to support. Learn more about the Black Business Collective here.
One of the best easy to create positive change is to start and keep having the conversation. Many people would like to talk about the impact of racism and the need for racial healing in our country, but don’t know where to start. Some worry that others won’t understand their points of view or what they say might be offensive to others. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation offers this guide that can help you begin to have a conversation, despite these very real challenges. Recognizing that talking about racism can be challenging; your goals should be to commit to creating a safe space for people to be authentic and vulnerable, and to pave the way for future conversations.
As the 2020 election season heats up, voters across the state have already begun researching their candidates, their policies and positions. With the general election only a few months away on November 3, 2020, it's a good idea to check your registration status, or even get registered for the first time so you can vote in this year's presidential election.
Vote.org offers a list of dates, deadlines, and how to check your registration in Maryland here.
Maryland Voter Registration Deadlines:
- In Person: 21 days before Election Day. You may also register during early voting or on Election Day with proof of address. See Election Day registration instructions.
- By Mail: Postmarked 21 days before Election Day.
- Online: 21 days before Election Day.
Signing a petition is one of the first action steps when it comes to seeking justice. While it may seem like a small feat, signing petitions allow for a collective of voices to be heard and help for the messages their sharing to go unignored. Here are a few you can sign for justice for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and more:
Grassroots Law Project's Justice for Floyd
Life Sentence for Police Brutality
Amnesty International: Justice for George Floyd
There are a number of ways to put your money where your mouth is; from helping to pay bail for protesters by donating to bail funds to helping fund the entire Black Lives Matter movement, the ways to monetarily support those fighting racial injustices are endless. Here are a few:
Here’re a few movies to watch on racial injustice. Below are some readily available. There’s a longer list here, too.
"13th" is a must-watch film for understanding America's racist practices from slavery to present day incarceration, Directed by Ava DuVernay, it is available to watch for free on Netflix's Black Lives Matter playlist on YouTube. The documentary combines archival footage and interviews with activists and scholars.
Netflix has also made "Strong Island" available for free on YouTube. This Oscar-nominated documentary explores the murder of filmmaker Yance Ford's brother.
“Rat Film" explores how racial segregation, discriminatory lending practices known as “redlining,” and environmental racism built the Baltimore that exists today.”
Just Mercy is available to watch for free in the month of June across multiple platforms. Based on a true story, Just Mercy follows a young Black lawyer Bryan Stevenson, played by Michael B. Jordan and his history-making battle for justice. This film focuses on one of Stevenson's first cases to free an innocent man, Walter McMillian, played by Jamie Foxx, off of Alabama's Death Row.
In the wake of protests against racial injustice around the globe, the best way to educate yourself on these matters is to listen, study Black history, read and seek out diverse authors.
Here are some books to get you started:
The Baltimore County Library put together an anti-racist book list as a resource for those who may “never have entertained thoughts about race or policing in America” and for those who want to deepen their understanding of America’s fraught racial history, said the library system’s collection development coordinator Jamie Watson. Find the list here.
How To Be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Incarceration Nations: A Journey to Justice In Prisons Around The World by Baz Dreisinger
When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
BIN: Black Information Network is the first and only 24x7 comprehensive national audio news service dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective. Listen live to BIN on iHeartRADIO.