Honestly, we’re all SO SHOOK about the state of our country right now. We’re sure you all don’t need any extra reminders, so we’ll keep it brief.

We’re incredibly saddened that it took several unnecessary deaths to shine a spotlight on our country’s issues. But in the words of George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna: “Daddy changed the world.” Amen. Cant’ f*ckin’ argue with that. We hope you are right, sweetheart.

Throughout the last week and change, we’ve been sharing resources over our emails and instagrams. The more people we talked to, the more we realized everyone is looking for the right resources that resonate with them. So that is the inspo behind our Ally Toolkit. I just want to kick off by saying we know we’re not perfect, we know we may possibly say the wrong thing while touching a tough subject like this… but we’d sure as hell rather be corrected than be silent.

Without further adieu, aside from protesting in public… here’s our toolkit for how to be a KICK ASS ALLY RIGHT NOW:

1. Be OK with being uncomfortable. If you’re going to do the work to be a *real* ally, it’s going to get weird. It’s going to get sad. It’s going to get awkward. Lean into it. Be open to it. Take time for it.

It’s normal to feel uncomfortable right now. But everyone fully feeling it is what helps create change.

2. Educate yourself. If you’re anything like me, you probably have a tendency to skip negative news (I get that… because sometimes it’s hard to listen to mainstream media beat the same drum all the time)… but now is not the time. We all need to let the reality of what’s going on sink in. Read longer articles and books, listen to podcasts and documentaries dedicated to the race and racial injustice in our country. Dig deeper.

Knowledge is power. The more you know, the more dangerous you can be.

3. Change the way you think. Let me be clear: we will NEVER fully understand what our black friends are going through but we have to try to open up our minds and hearts so we can evolve our POV. If our country is going to have a shot at changing a long history of racism, it’s not enough to be non racist. It’s not enough to have a diverse group of friends. It’s not enough to love everyone and wish love for everyone. We have to take action. Continued, sustained action. We have to go after the people who perpetuate this system. And shut it down at the source. But the real work still starts with you. Once you evolve, you can help the system evolve too.

4. Educate your friends & family. Maybe not everyone is as briefed as you are. This is one easy thing you can do to help move equality for all and police reform forward. You can even just share this post.

5. Continue your social support. Blackout Tuesday was a great opportunity to show support but we should all continue to be vocal about the change we want to see.

Let’s pause and have a chat on the power of reposting. If you have a following on a social media platform, whether it be big or small (it doesn’t matter), you can be a part of this movement by reposting, sharing, liking or even commenting.

6. Sign petitions. So this is an interesting one. Our whole team was wondering what petitions *actually* do, so we figured you were too. And we did the research for you. What we learned is that petitions are most effective at recruiting new people to the cause (over persuading the target… say like a president Trump… who probably isn’t going to read it anyway… we’re not actually even sure if he can read). You catch my drift.

Once you sign, you tend to share and #boom, now you’re an advocate too. The Washington Post had a good point: “while they may not have an effect now on policy, they may have an effect later on politics.” Petitions send a signal of public opinion to decision makers, alert the media of the overall sentiment and help create further action. Fun fact: Justice for George Floyd is the most signed petition in Change.org history.

7. Donate. George Floyd’s memorial fund has already raised $8million dollars and counting so we are encouraging donations to national causes, especially because this is a truly national issue. We know this is a financially hard time for many, but in case you are able to put resources behind this, we did a deep dive into which charities are making waves on a national level. You can check out our podcast dropping on Monday (hint, hint: subscribe here!) for more info on Black Lives Matter and Campaign Zero, where we are personally supporting.

8. Support companies that support change. PrettyLittleThing is doing a collab with Saweetie all for charity. Lyft is donating $500k in rides for organizers of the movement. Glossier is donating $1 million to Black Lives Matter & black-owned beauty brands. Go check out your favorite brands and see what they’re doing. They have the power to impact and so do you when you support them!

9. This sounds obvious… but VOTE. Right out of Obama’s mouth: protesting matters but politics also matters. If we want long-term change, we need both. The elected officials who have the greatest effect on police reform are:

Mayors & County Execs and District Attorneys & State Attorneys. We share a ton more in the podcast on what this means and ways to get involved but essentially these local elections are incredibly important if we are going to end police brutality.

10. Think longterm. How can you stay involved and continue to support? What organizations really resonate with you? Sign up for their emails and stay in touch on future ways to help. Think of it as your personal continuing education.

xoxo,

sup, babe? squad