Fight Racial Injustice
Hanniya Qureshi is a member of the APF Leadership Council.
The American Pakistan Foundation has prepared a list of resources and readings that are helpful in understanding race relations in the United States and that offer ways to be an ally in the fight against racial injustice.
Resources
Petitions
Add your name to petitions and open letters circulating, such as the petition made by Black Lives Matter and this open letter by AVAAZ.
Donate
Community Justice Exchange, National Bail Fund Network: a directory of Bail Funds by state
Support Black Owned Businesses
Support your local black owned businesses
Donate through the directory of Black-Led Non-Profits
Serve as a Witness
Read How To Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct (2020): The human rights organization WITNESS provides guidance on exposing violent and discriminatory policing.
In Your Homes
Have conversations with your children about race and racism using The Children’s Community School resources.
In Your Professional Spaces
Schedule a training with Erase Racism to learn about racial equity for Staff, Board Members and Management.
Attend an anti-racism training with D&R Institute of El Paso to learn about historical events, ideologies, and social structures, and how they inform modern day beliefs, bias, and perception.
READ
Haymarket Books Against Policing and Mass Incarceration: Read up on the history of the police system and mass incarceration
Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Free downloadable e-book from Haymarket Books
A collection of fiction and non-fiction books focused on racism, the African American experience, and slavery.
How To Be An Ally
“It’s the individual change that will drive systems change. We need you. We need our allies. ”
WATCH DOCUMENTARIES
Thanks to Liv for sharing the following list of documentaries on race relations in the United States.
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (2016) dir. Raoul Peck - analyzes the life and relationships of James Baldwin and the assassinations of Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers. Phenomenal effort to bring to life the groundbreaking book that Baldwin never finished. (Google Play, YouTube, Amazon Prime, iTunes)
When They See Us (2019) dir. Ava Duvernay - a dramatized account of the central park five, the instance of five innocent men being convicted and sentenced for the rape and assault of a white jogger. The show follows the corrupt trial that landed each of them in prison. (Netflix)
Let the Fire Burn (2013) dir. Jason Osder - a collection and presentation of events and situations leading up to and during the 1985 standoff between black radical group MOVE and the police. Let it be known that same year the police dropped a bomb on MOVE’s house, killing 11. (Vudu, iTunes)
13th (2016) dir. Ava Duvernay - delves into the deep systematic inequalities and flaws of the industrial prison complex. The most basic understanding of the corrupt and unjust imprisonment system is laid out for any viewer to comprehend. (Netflix)
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015) dir. Stanley Nelson Jr. - Nelson navigates the emergence of the Panther party in the 60s and its lasting impact on civil rights and american society. incredibly relevant to the current state of revolution today. (Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, YouTube, Vudu)
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) dir. David France - Everyone should know that Marsha P. Johnson was at the forefront of the Stonewall riots for black trans women in NYC, and consequently sparked the revolution. She was found floating in the Hudson river in 1992. (Netflix)
Ferguson: A report from occupied territory (2015) dir. Orlando de Guzman - a first hand conversation with residents of St. Louis county and their experiences in actions during, leading up to, and following the riots (Fusion)
Do Not Resist (2016) dir. Craig Atkinson - an introspection into the militarization of the United States via the police force. a pure visual analysis of the gradual effect this force has had on society, specifically that of the marginalized (Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Amazon Prime, iTunes)
The Color of Fear (1994) dir. Lee Mun Wah - Eight North American men, two African American, two Latinos, two Asian American and two Caucasian were gathered by director Lee Mun Wah, for a dialog about the state of race relations in America as seen through their eyes. The exchanges are sometimes dramatic, and put in plain light the pain caused by racism in North America. (Amazon Prime)
Vox’s series, Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap: Cory Booker and others discuss how slavery, housing discrimination and centuries of inequality have compounded to create a racial wealth gap. (Netflix)
TEDWomen - What It Takes To Be Racially Literate (2017): Over the last year, Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo traveled to all 50 US states, collecting personal stories about race and intersectionality. Now they're on a mission to equip every American with the tools to understand, navigate and improve a world structured by racial division. In a dynamic talk, Vulchi and Guo pair the personal stories they've collected with research and statistics to reveal two fundamental gaps in our racial literacy -- and how we can overcome them. (Ted.com, YouTube)