Police Brutality in America Teach-Out

History and Evolution of Policing in America

From The Roots of Policing in the United States

Article:The Racist Roots of American Policing 

Podcast: Origins of American Police

From a History of Black Lives Matter

Video: Black Lives Matter explained: The history of a movement

Additional Resources:

Article collection and podcast: The 1619 Project and podcast by the NYT - Re-telling of U.S. history centering experiences and contributions of Black American.

Article: CityLab University: A Timeline of U.S. Police Protests - a recent history of protest movements responding to police brutality against Black lives.

 

Understanding the Impact of Police Violence

Full Article: I Am So Tired by Robert M. Sellers

From All Black Lives Matter

Organization: Transgender Gender-variant and Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP)

From “The Talk: Conversations Among Black Families”

Video: Our Mental Health Minute | Session 8: Racial Socialization

Article: Riana Anderson: Talk, Walk and Chalk

Additional Resources

Resource Hub: Seven Last Words of the Unarmed -education resource list based around the Seven Last Words performance.

Article: How Structural Racism Affects Healthcare — Only by first acknowledging the effects can we work toward transformative changes

Article: A short history of black women and police violence

Article: Why Are Black Women and Girls Still an Afterthought in Our Outrage Over Police Violence?

Organization: Flower Boi STL - a peer network for masculine of centered POC to decolonize toxic masculinity. Also found on Instagram @flowerboiSTL

Organization: Black Girls Matter - campaign by The African American Policy Forum.

Article: 'Police are a force of terror': the LGBT activists who want cops out of Pride

 

The State of Modern Policing in America

Additional Resources

Article: Police officers convicted for fatal shootings are the exception and not the rule

Podcast: The Systems That Protect the Police - The Daily

 

Policing, Media, and Culture

Additional Resources

Organization:The Marshall Project, - non-profit source of journalism on criminal justice.

Playlist: Police Brutality in America Teach-Out on Spotify. Content Advisory: some songs may contain violent or explicit lyrics.

Video: “I Can’t Breathe” - video performance of a poem by Charmaine Pratt 

Article: Your Bookshelf May Be Part of the Problem - why diversifying your media landscape is an important part of self-education.

Article: 70 Black Voices to Add to Your Social Media Feed: A Starting Point for Diversifying your Worldview 

 

Responding to Police Brutality

From Protesting During a Pandemic

Article: What defunding police could look like in Detroit | Opinion by Chase Cantrell, Building Community Value

Additional Resources

Podcast: The Case For Defunding the Police - The Daily

Podcast series: Justice in America - each episode explains a criminal justice issue in conversation with experts and advocates.

 

 

 

Take Action

Find out about national and local law enforcement policies

• #8toabolition - information about the police abolition movement.
• Reclaim the Block - information and resources about policing alternatives.
• Critical Resistance - organization combating the global prison industrial complex.
• Campaign Zero - information about policy solutions and action items on police violence in the U.S..
• MP150: a People’s Project Evaluating Policing

Donate money to activist organizations or organizations supporting the wellbeing of activists and BIPOC

• The Loveland Foundation - Therapy fund focused on Black women and girls.
• The Steve Fund - national organization supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of young people of color.
• The Bail Project - national bail fund combatting mass incarceration and inequity in the carceral state.
• NAACP: Legal Defense and Education Fund - legal organization combating racial injustice through litigation, advocacy, and public education.

Get involved in local organizations in your area

• Black Lives Matter - extensive list of organizations to donate to, ways to support ongoing actions, and additional resources for local, nation, and international anti-racist efforts.

• Poor People’s Campaign - a National Call for Moral Revival - A reinvigoration of MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign. Chapters available in all states with resources and training for new activists and organizers. 

• Fight for $15 - national organization advocating for $15 national minimum wage and the right to workplace unionization. Local chapters available in many states.
• The Movement for Black Lives - Parent organization connecting Black organizations across the U.S. to debate and build a movement-wide strategy.

 

Learn and Listen

• Seeking Justice: Conversations on Incarceration - series by the University of Michigan offering a variety of perspectives on carceral justice.
• TransformHarm.org - resource hub on transformative justice and alternatives to traditional policing.
• INCITE! - network of radical feminists of color organizing to end state violence and violence in our homes and communities.
• Urban Institute feature articles on Structural Racism in America - hub of stories, data, and research on structural racism in a U.S. context.

 

Have Discussions

• Demonstrating Effective Dialogue - members of the University of Michigan Program on Intergroup Relations discuss techniques for building effective dialogue on difficult subjects.

• How White Parents Can Talk to Their Kids About Race - conversation on how to discuss race with children with Jennifer Harvey, author of Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America.

• How White People Can Talk to Each Other About Disrupting Racism - guide to starting conversations about anti-racism with friends and family.

• Showing Up for Racial Justice Toolkit: Calling People In About “Violence” - guide by Showing Up for Racial Justice with approaches and talking points for addressing issues that frequently surface.

 

Take Care of Yourself

• Burn Out Prevention Workbook - guided exercises and information for dealing with burn-out.
• Identifying Your Role and Practicing Self-Care as a Young Black Activist - starting point for sustaining work with health and wellbeing in mind.
• Liberate Meditation App - meditation app crafted for BIPOC.
• H.E.A.L. Resource list - living resource of mental health and wellness resources for BIPOC and allies.
• 44 Mental Health Resources for Black People Trying to Survive in This Country - Includes mental health resources, tips for navigating therapy, and Black-centered media related to health and wellness
• Young, Gifted, @ Risk and Resilient: A Video Toolkit to Support the Well-Being of Students of Color - a project by the University of Michigan National Center for Institutional Diversity.