Demand Racial Justice Stands Behind Protesters

"The pain and suffering being shared by Black and brown communities in this moment are palpable."

(SALEM, Ore.) - In response to last week's brutal murder by police of George Floyd and the continual violence perpetrated by police against Black communities, the national protests are righteous and justified.

They are an expression of the anger and pain people have felt for decades, due to the history of violence inflicted on Black communities for generations in our country.

They are also a beautiful outpouring of solidarity: We are seeing protests in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, joined by people from all backgrounds, socioeconomic classes, and political orientations.

They are a reminder to us all that the work we must do to demand a more just and equitable country is ongoing and absolutely essential.

And while much of what we are seeing this past week is an authentic uprising of people demanding justice, it is supported by the hard work of activists and organizers all over the country who do the work day in and day out to advance racial justice in their communities.

There are also organizations that do the work to support the movement nationally and in communities across the country. And this is a moment where many of us can join and support the work of these critical organizations that will fight for Black lives and defend protesters now—and in the months and years to come.

The Movement for Black Lives was founded in 2014 in the aftermath of the police killing of Michael Brown and the protests that followed in Ferguson, MO. It consists of a coalition of organizations all working toward liberation for Black people and is active across the country to push for policies that advance equity for people of color.

Since the murder of George Floyd last Monday, the Movement for Black Lives has been at the forefront of the response, organizing calls to action including protecting the rights of protesters, calling on cities and states to divest from the police and invest in Black communities, and fighting back against the dangerous and violent rhetoric from Donald Trump.

National Bail Out is a Black-led and Black-focused organization that works to end the horrific policy of pretrial detention and cash bail that keeps so many people of color in jails and prisons without a conviction, simply for being unable to pay.

National Bail Out has been working to bail out Black mothers and caregivers—and now to bail out protesters who have been arrested en masse over the past several days.

Hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members have already signed petitions, supported protesters, called on elected officials, and more --all critical ways to take action that will have impact today.

The pain and suffering being shared by Black and brown communities in this moment are palpable. And the violent, militarized response from law enforcement across the country is both infuriating and predictable.

Pelting protesters with rubber bullets the size of golf balls, intentionally targeting journalists, firing tear gas into crowds of peaceful protesters so that Donald Trump can stage a photo op, and the senseless killing of David McAtee while he gave free food from his restaurant to protesters ...The list goes on.

It is long past time for radical, transformational change across the country.

Thousands of local and national groups are working on the ground in Minneapolis, Louisville, and across the country to support this movement. Join MoveOn in supporting the Movement for Black Lives and National Bail Out.