Nubian Message would like to express our solidarity with the freedom fighters in Minneapolis, Minnesota and other areas around the country. Your fight is important, your voice matters, your existence matters. We see you. We hear you. We feel you. We stand with you.
Just like clockwork, it’s happened again. Another video of a Black person being slain. In a country that was built and founded on the bloodshed and pain of Black bodies, this has become the norm. George Floyd, Kendra James, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Kenneth Walker, Steve Taylor, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Samuel Dubose, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery. These names are just a few of many names. Their names and stories continue to live.
A few days ago, the brave people of Minneapolis took to the streets. Unfortunately, their protest was met with resistance and hostility from the local law enforcement. The protestors were attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets. These methods used by law enforcement forced the protestors to take action. This resulted in resistance across the city and burned precincts.
As we’ve seen time and time again, quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. often surface when protests and riots arise. So, in the words of your favorite leader: “A riot is the language of the unheard.”
It is the responsibility of us as a people to not condemn their resistance, but understand the anger behind them. The brutality the Black community has faced for centuries is not something that can be ignored.
In 1992, Black NC State and UNC students protested for a free-standing Black cultural center, calling out university leadership for neglecting their students. They were met with opinion articles from Technician calling protestors “Ku Klux Blacks,” and “a bunch of terrorists.” This eventually led to the creation of Nubian Message. Being a paper that was founded as a result of a protest, do not act stunned that we stand in solidarity with the protestors. We were founded for the people, by the people. This is a vision that we do not plan on changing.
It’s time for us to go beyond our tweets, retweets and sharing of posts. If you are able, please donate to the various organizations dedicated to assisting and helping the people who are risking their lives. Call your local and state representatives. We’ve linked the various funds, petitions and how to find your representative below.
To the non-Black readers: allyship is more than just having Black friends and saying that you support them. ACTUALLY check on your Black friends. Support Black-owned business. Donate to bail funds. Call your representatives. Vote. Sign Petitions. Educate yourself. It is not the job of the oppressed to teach and inform the oppressor. Call out your racist friends, defend Black bodies. We are more than just a means for your consumption. Hold yourselves, your family members and your friends accountable.
To universities and other institutions that profit off of Black bodies: Where is your statement? Your contribution? With NC State’s history of neglecting Black students, we are waiting for a statement. If you truly value our lives, speak out. Donate. Educate. Utilize your platforms.
Be cautious of the language you are using when discussing these current and ongoing events. Your language can be harmful. Be cautious when posting and reposting graphic videos of these people being slain. Also, please do not share videos with protestor’s faces in them. Be mindful of ALL Black communities and the impacts of these events. Do not contribute to the erasure and silence of certain stories, especially the stories of Black queer people in this country.
Please know that you are allowed to mourn. You are allowed to feel sad. You are allowed to hurt when people that look like you are being murdered simply because they look like you. Take the time to take care of yourself and protect your peace.
Black lives do matter. ALL Black lives matter.
Our condolences go out to the friends and family members of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Kenneth Walker and all of the other Black people that were taken too soon.
As always, remain safe and protect your peace.
With love,
Nubian Message
How You Can Help:
Black Visions Collective: https://secure.everyaction.com/4omQDAR0oUiUagTu0EG-Ig2
Reclaim The Block: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2
North Star Health Collective: https://www.northstarhealthcollective.org/donate
Louisville Community Bail Fun: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund?source=twitter&
Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate
Columbus Freedom Fund: https://www.paypal.me/columbusfreedomfund
GoFundMe for George Floyd: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
GoFundMe for Regis Korchinski-Paquet: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cggys2-justice-for-regis?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
GoFundMe for Kenneth Walker: https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-representation-for-kenneth-walker?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR20jPXOOsP_AJse2LwIag6oNa7ZotyvpOCW2SItGfnHha8NVpQz7vMeWTk
GoFundMe for Ahmaud Arbery: https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
How to find your representative: https://whoismyrepresentative.com/
https://www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators
Text FLOYD to 55156
Text JUSTICE to 668366
Take care of yourself, free virtual therapy: https://borislhensonfoundation.org/
