If You’re White And Are Protesting, Please, Please Listen To This. If You’re White And Have White

What to do if you find yourself homless- written by someone who has actually been homeless

Most important: Spend the money you have on a motel. Churches probably will not actually help and shelters can be dangerous or turn you away. At a motel you have free breakfast, access to running water, and a lockable place to sleep. Do not waste money on a gym membership like the popular version of this post says to do, YMCA memberships are like $40.

2. Contact family and friends. Now is not the time to worry about being a burden. Your survival and safety comes first and that is all that matters, anyone worth having in your life will agree.

3. Start a gofundme. Even if someone can’t offer you a place to stay, they might be willing to toss out $5 so you can eat today.

4. Libraries have free wifi. Apply to any and all jobs you can think of if you aren’t already working.

5. Any home is a good home. Even if it’s a dingy apartment in a bad neighborhood. If its cheap and you can afford it, snatch it up. 

6. Pancake mix and peanut butter are filling, cheap, and last a long time.

PLEASE SHARE THE FUCK OUT OF THIS

Evening, gang, I'm here to make a little note about the pridefall thing.

ITS NOT REAL.

People like that have been doing shit like that for years, and people give into it every year. Its been confirmed multiple times that it was, indeed, fake, and anyone that was taking it seriously is no longer doing it. Pridefall. Isn't. Happening.

Don't listen to anyone who says it is, don't let them scare you. LGBT people are scared offline every year by shit like this, and we keep letting it happen. We can't keep falling for this shit. Its getting OLD.

“People do love you. It’s just difficult sometimes to see or believe that when you don’t love yourself. But that doesn’t mean that nobody loves you. They do. I promise you, they do.”

— Something to remember when you’re alone at 3am and it feels like your world is collapsing around you.

To the DC protesters and DC residents

Are y'all good? Are you guys okay? Is everyone safe? Is this as bad as it sounds? Because it sounds like you guys went missing.

I don't live in or anywhere near DC, but I'm worried about you guys.

I heard they jammed all signals, basically blocked all social media, that they've been hacking into accounts of protesters to tweet out the same random thing to convince people that they are okay, and have been deleting any and all posts talking about the protesters.

Not many have heard from you guys since last night.

Someone said that special forces might have taken all the protesters into custody, so they could wipe their electronics of any/everything that happened last night and so they could send out some kind of message making it seem like they all just decided around 1 in the morning to go to bed.

I don't know what to believe besides the fact that that right there sounds to believable not to believe.

Especially with twitter accounts being hacked and sending out the same message.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THE PEOPLE PROTESTING AINT SAFE AND THIS COULD BE NEXT

To all my black followers and friends, stay safe.

Also, I would like to add that black lives have always mattered, will always matter.

It’s awful that we even have to say that because it should be a given. However, we need to say it loud and clear for the racists.

We cannot be silent. 

This picture has been circulating all over social media and I have more to add:

Delete all period cycle tracking apps off your phone today.

Do not tell anyone why you want to take your trip, especially over text/apps.

Do not tell anyone the real state/destination of your trip.

Have everyone on your trip turn off their phones. Use written directions or a burner phone. Do not use burner phone to open any personal apps. Dispose of after trip.

Only use cash while purchasing ANYTHING on your trip.

Take “vacation” photos to post later. Be cautious of geo-tags/only post screenshots of the original photos.

Some people might say this is being extra or overly precautious, but this really is the reality we are facing. People have been imprisoned with murder charges in certain states- some for literal miscarriages. If you are a person that ends up in this situation, the state can and will use your data against you as evidence in court. Do not leave a paper trail. If they want to treat us like criminals, we’re gonna move like criminals.

I just got to chapter 19 and I just can't

7 Virtual Mental Health Resources Supporting Black People Right Now

We may be socially distant in this traumatic time, but we're not alone.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been going through it. First there was the constant stream of news about the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Black communities, then came the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of police and the wrongful death of Ahmaud Arbery. Meanwhile I’m navigating this pandemic along with everyone else, and trying to figure out how to make a positive impact along the way. It’s been dizzying. And I know I’m not alone.

According to Naj Austin, founder of the social community for people of color Ethel’s Club, all of those complex feelings and mixed emotions are normal in times of crisis and collective trauma. Ethel’s Club, which previously offered free mental health counseling for members in its Brooklyn location, has now transitioned to a digital model. “The great thing about a healing space like Ethel’s Club is that it takes our identity, and everything that comes with that, into account. You can’t talk about these complex feelings without talking about Blackness.” The club’s online community is hosting free, hour-long grieving sessions twice monthly.

For many Black people practicing social distancing, the need for virtual resources has never been more clear. So, I’ve compiled a list of six more mental health resources, in addition to Ethel’s Club, that are providing virtual support to the Black community right now. However you choose to grieve, process, and/or stand in solidarity, remember that you’re not alone, and that your personhood and wellness still matter.

Dive in Well

Maryam Ajayi founded Dive in Well, an organization offering digital classes on various wellness practices, to create a more inclusive wellness industry. Dive in Well hosts donation-based digital events like breathwork classes and therapy sessions aimed at centering self care.

Sista Afya

This Chicago-based, community-driven organization provides women from across the Black diaspora with low-cost group therapy sessions, workshops, and free online conversations known as Online Sista Support Groups, which cover topics like managing the stress sparked by consuming news.

Healhaus

Founders Darian Hall and Elisa Shankle created this space in Brooklyn to provide accessible and inclusive wellness to their community. HealHaus is currently closed, but their ethos has continued virtually through live streamed classes, including a healing cypher for men of color.

Therapy for Black Girls

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford founded this organization to combat the stigma around therapy that might otherwise prevent Black women from seeking care. Now, TBG has become a successful podcast, a directory that aims to connect women with culturally competent therapists, as well as a private community Facebook support group. The organization holds free group support sessions weekly on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. EST.

The Nap Ministry

Performance artist and poet Tricia Hersey founded The Nap Ministry to champion Black rest as a form of reparations and resistance against burnout culture and capitalism. While she normally hosts free pop-ups where visitors can take brief naps and workshops in the Atlanta area, Hersey has been using Instagram to provide mini sermons about the importance of slowing down and getting more sleep when you’re a Black person fighting oppression day-in and day-out.

Inclusive Therapists

Austin-based therapist Melody Li founded the Inclusive Therapists database to provide therapists with training for racial trauma and connect people of all identities, abilities, and bodies with culturally sensitive care. Li herself, and many other therapists in the Inclusive Therapists network, offer reduced-fee teletherapy options to ensure that financial limitations do not keep people from pursuing care. Decolonizing Therapy and Viva Wellness are two other therapy practices with active online platforms.