Be outraged at a system that dehumanizes Black lives. Remember, though, that social media activism is just the beginning. From your friendly human rights master's student, here's a thread on how to back up your (very valid) social media outrage with concrete action:

As a child of social justice tumblr in a conservative Texas town, I fell into performative activism following the murder of Trayvon Martin - basically, giving myself a pat on the back after a frenzy of angry reblogs that demanded justice.

Raising awareness and bringing exposure to injustice through social media is CRUCIAL. It's how many of us first become fully aware of the sheer depth of injustice in America (due to severe gaps in our education system). I don't want this point to be lost.

Social media activism just can't be the end of our activism. Shedding a light on an issue is useless if we do nothing to cast away the dark. In the words of the immortal Angela Davis, "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist."

For us, this means that we can tweet our pain, our outrage, and our grief. We just can't stop there.

So what can we do?

1. DONATE. While this is the most tangible way to support the families of people like George Floyd, it is not always a reality for everyone based on personal situations - especially in the middle of a global pandemic.

2. ADVOCATE. Contact your local representatives and demand justice. There is a George Floyd in your city, town, or county. Their story might not have been as "viral". That doesn't mean they don't deserve justice, too. Politicians work for the people.

Here's a guide from the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations on tips and tricks to contact your local elected officials:
https://www.aapcho.org/resources_db/how-to-contact-your-elected-officials/
You can also often find scripts or templates for demanding justice for a particular issue on the Internet.

Here's a link to Common Cause to help find your elected officials. The website asks for your address to determine officials. While I do not believe this information is stored, minors - PLEASE be careful putting your address anywhere on the internet. https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/

3. EDUCATE. To become better advocates and activists, we must work to unlearn the teachings of a racist society. This can be hard for those who can't sit down with themselves and realize that their worldviews may be harmful to others.

This antiracist reading list by scholar Ibram X. Kendi touches on race in relation to biology, ethnicity, the body, culture, behavior, color, whiteness, blackness, class, spaces, gender, and sexuality. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/books/review/antiracist-reading-list-ibram-x-kendi.html

Another particularly relevant work is Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People To Talk About Race". White allies - read this book. Let it make you uncomfortable. Let it make you vow to do more. Here's the original essay: https://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/viewFile/249/116

For those who struggle to understand white privilege and how it influences lived experiences, Peggy McIntosh's "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" is required reading. Seriously - this is 7 pages, so read this if literally nothing else. https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf

Check your social media feeds. Are you following marginalized voices with identities different from your own? Are you following Black voices? Are you following women of color? Follow them. Learn from them. SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR WORK in whatever form you can.

Becoming anti-racist in a white supremacist society is a monumental task. You will slip up. Acknowledge your mistakes, apologize to those you've harmed, and recognize where and how you fit into the conversation. Don't speak over the voices of those you are trying to lift.

Take time to mourn, to grieve, to rage. Once you're ready, take that pain and let it fuel your activism - in whatever form is most realistic for you. Just be sure that your activism is extending beyond your Twitter feed. /end

(apologies for typos - it's nearly 3 am here)