Black Lives Matter
No Struggle No Progress
Dear community,
In outrage, we vehemently condemn police brutality, and the continued criminalization, incarceration, and murder of Black people in this country and around the world. We stand in solidarity with those protesting the murders of Black people and police brutality and firmly against institutional and systemic racism and white supremacy. Southern Exposure supports the struggle for Black Lives and Black Liberation.
We mourn the lives of all those lost through police brutality and state-sanctioned violence – George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Manuel Ellis, David McAtee, Sean Monterrosa, and all the others, those whose names we know and those we don’t. Each of them had families, friends, and communities that were torn apart, and contributions that were stolen and reduced by anti-black violence. We are listening to the words of Tamika Mallory and the heartbreaking song of Keedron Bryant. We urge our community to look to the leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the calls to action from the Movement for Black Lives to do the work towards destroying white supremacy.
Much like social justice, arts and culture in the U.S. are built on the labor and creativity of Black artists and activists. Our success as an organization is possible because of the past work and current participation of Black artists, activists, and arts administrators. Southern Exposure is working to move beyond the tokenizing language of diversity and toward the empowerment and liberation of all people. We are committed to being a resource and space for Black artists to engage their imagination and realize their creative dreams. We strive to uplift the work and visions of artists in struggle in our programming and in our daily work, and we are committed to deepening this practice every day.
We urge everyone to take action in whatever form they are able as we fight to dismantle anti-blackness and white supremacy. We believe that through struggle, collective liberation is possible and have gathered some resources below that may be useful. As we move forward, we draw courage from the words of Frederick Douglass: "If there is no struggle, there is no progress."
In health, solidarity, and struggle,
The team at Southern Exposure
DONATE
National funds:
- The American Civil Liberties Union
- The Bail Project
- Campaign Zero
- Critical Resistance
- Communities United Against Police Brutality
- Emergency Release Fund
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Bay Area funds:
- Aid for the Bayview - COVID-19
- Anti-Police Terror Project
- Bay Area Anti- Repression Committee Bail Fund
- Bay Area Community Freedom Fund
- Community Ready Corps
- East Oakland Collective
- National Lawyers Guild (Bay Area chapter)
- Oakland People’s Breakfast
- Silicon Valley DSA’s Bail Fund
TAKE ACTION
- Recommended actions from the Movement for Black Lives
- If you’re going to a protest, know your rights in this guide from the ACLU
- Know your rights printable booklet from the National Lawyers Guild
- National Lawyers Guild number if you are arrested: 415-285-1011
- National Lawyers Guild number if someone you know is arrested: 415-909-4NLG
READ
- We encourage you to support Black-owned bookstores like Marcus Books.
- Download and read the free e-book The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
- Read and share Letters for Black Lives with friends and family.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Image Credit:
Patrick Martinez, No Struggle, No Progress, part of Solidarity Struggle Victory, Fall 2019 at Southern Exposure.
Courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery.