Reparations

Cannabis criminal justice reform

10% of all profits will be donated to Last Prisoner Project, an organization that “focuses on three [cannabis] criminal justice reform initiatives: prisoner release, record clearing through clemency and expungement, and reentry programs.”

Criminalization of cannabis has been exceptionally harmful, disproportionally so for people of color, and this organization works to repair these injustices. Living in a time where weed is becoming more legal is exciting, but there is so much work that needs to be done to help people and communities suffering currently because of it. Legalizing marijuana without releasing those imprisoned (and helping them renter the society that now embraces what they were imprisoned for) is racism and gentrification, end of story.

Please follow @lastprisonerprj on Twitter and Instagram to read up and stay informed on this important issue!

The ACLU also has a very informative slideshow on the statistics of marijuana arrests and imprisonment. 

Feel free to let me know of any other organizations doing similar work I should include here!

 

Black lives matter. 

They have always mattered, however America does not act like this is true. 

Police brutality, in particular the disproportionate murder of black people at the hands of police, is a widespread moral and public health crisis that has been a problem for centuries. The horrific murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, amongst countless others before them, sparked protest and civil unrest. No justice, no peace.

Supporting change looks different for everyone. Donate to causes you believe in, protest, educate yourself, discuss hard topics with family members, volunteer in your community, write letters and call your representatives and city councilors, become aware of your implicit biases and challenge them daily (fellow white people, this is crucial!), google terms you hadn't heard before or ways to get involved! Do the work even when it's hard, in whatever way you can.

Below are some well founded organizations  committed to investing in communities, divesting/defunding/abolishing police, supporting black/indigenous people of color, supporting queer people of color, and more. We need to be looking to black voices for leadership, during this time especially, and these organizations are an excellent place to start.

Donate if you can! Set up a monthly donation to continue your activism! If you can't, share on social media and use the resources to learn something new!

Black visions collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/

Minnesota freedom fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/

Women for political change: https://www.womenforpoliticalchange.org/

Reclaim the block: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/home

Marsha P. Johnson Institute: https://marshap.org/

ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/

 

Every bit of effort matters. Let's continue to do the work.