Yaritza Montiel

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50 Ways You Can Help

For the past couple of the days the BLM movement has turned into an unrest of wanting equality. Many people do not understand the movement because they fail to realize the privilege they have. Seeing several articles on how to stay in involved and what type of media you should be consuming so you are much more aware of what is going on. Here are a couple of lists of media I have seen that can help someone understand.

10 movies/shows you can watch that speak on these issues are...

When They See Us (Netflix)
13th (Netflix)
American Son (Netflix)
See You Yesterday (Netflix)
Dear White People (Netflix)
Freedom Writers (Netflix)
The Hate U Give (Hulu)
If Beale Street Could Talk (Hulu)
16 Shots (Hulu)
Hidden Figures (Hulu)

10 Children Book that speak about race...

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up To Be Malcolm X, Ilyasah Shabazz
Let it Shine Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, Andrea Davis Pinkney
Something Happened in Our Town A Child's Story About Racial Injustice, Ann Hazzard, Marianne Celano, and Marietta Collins
My Hair is a Garden, Cozbi A. Cabrera
My Family Divided, Diane Guerrero
Lailuh's Lunchbox, Reem Faruqi
Moses: When Harriett Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, Carole Boston WeaherFord
Happy In Our Skin, Fran Manushkin
Little Leaders Bold Women in Black History, Vashti Harrison
A is for Activists, Innosanto Nagara

10 Petitions you can sign...

Arrest Jared Campbell who maced little girl: http://chng.it/wGPvrnB98T
Justice for Sandra Bland: http://chng.it/gMHfz8gsdc
Justice for Breonna Taylor: http://chng.it/2LnHYJnrYK
Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: http://chng.it/mMgKzRTq9w
Implement Mandatory "I can't Breathe" Training to All Police Academies: http://chng.it/ZLqM5kDbF9
Justice for Sean Reed: http://chng.it/VpdQYqxqkR
Justice for Emerald Black: http://chng.it/XfMbjGmKGq
Mandate Police force to take "Racial Biased Test": http://chng.it/MJLzvm8zbm
"Hands Up Act": http://chng.it/xy4GvHDxfS
Justice for George Floyd: http://chng.it/Rsns9HGJPp

10 Organizations you can donate to...

Brooklyn Bail Fund: https://brooklynbailfund.org/
Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/
This YouTube Video was created to donate if you don't have money. If you click on the link it will take you to the video and ads will play do not skip the ads and that money will be donated to different BLM organizations.
Bail Fund: https://bailproject.org/
Black Lives Matter Foundation: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
People's City Council Freedom Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/peoples-city-council-ticket-fund
Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/
Black Vision Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/
Liberty Fund: https://www.libertyfund.org/
Higher Heights Leadership Fund: https://www.higherheightsleadershipfund.org/donate/

10 Podcast to listen to...

1619- NY Times
About Race
Seeing White
Code Switch
The Diversity Gap
Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
The Combahee River collective
Pod Save the People
Pod for the Cause
Intersectionality Matters! Hosted by Kimberle Crenshaw

English - 06/06/2020 - Yaritza Montiel

Black Lives Matter

In unprecedented times, hate raises; police brutality continues and creates horrible situations for people of color. Which makes you think, why is this still going on in 2020? The truth is that America has not yet evolved to be able to have equality among all races, and with this, it creates deadly scenarios for some people. That makes people fear going outside, fear authority, fear just living in America.

After recent footage of George Floyd getting knelt on by an officer repeating,

"I can't breathe”

the protest broke out, riots followed, as well as various stores in Minneapolis being looted, where the original incident took place. George Floyd was arrested for trying to pay with a counterfeit bill. He was brutally attacked by police for this reason. People are tired of the racism and are looking to do something about. Once the crowd got "out of control,” they were tear gassed, causing many people to get injured and need to push back. When getting tear-gassed, people ran in a local Target to get supplies. Running into this store led to worse things, eventually looting the Target and other big businesses such Dollar Tree and an Auto Zone.

"Ignorance is bliss for the majority, but ignorance is death for the minority."

The same story every time, just a different person. The hatred has to end, and it’s not going to take one protest or one person speaking up. It’s going to have to be more than that. Racism that happens in the police department is not something that should continue to happen. No one should die because the color of their skin. NO one should be feared because of the color of their skin. This is something more than just one person dying at the cost of a racist police officer. There are so many people who died for reasons they shouldn't have.

Say Their Names

Everyday it’s another life that has been lost due to carelessness. Black people should not have to put their lives at risk just to receive equality. It is sad to see how much progress we have not made as a country, to continue to be living in a time like this. Stay educated and stay informed. Stand for what you believe in, and use your voice, because if you don't, injustice will continue.

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor" -Desmond Tutu

As the protest continued, the Minnesota National Guard was activated to help aid officers to be able to control the area. None of this would be needed if there was equality, if a Black person would have not lost their life to an unreasonable matter.

Here are some links to support

Donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

Support: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate

English - 05/31/2020 - Yaritza Montiel

Empowering Documentaries for Women

Becoming

Based off of her memoir Becoming, we follow Michelle Obama through her book tour as she resonates with young women all over America to tell her story. She not only speaks about herself and her successes but includes hardships she faced, connecting it back to young women in Chicago. Michelle Obama decides to speak to young women in almost every state to see how they view the world and to listen to the hardships they face.

“I crave some longer experiences with young people. Through the community events. The tour could do a great job of giving me a little taste of it.”

She gives them advice and makes sure that they are not giving up, making sure that they follow their dreams. Following the story of the first woman of color becoming the first lady and having her husband be the first Black president. She speaks about her experiences in the White House and how it has had an affect in her life. Telling stories from her childhood to adulthood and how they made her the woman she is today. Students in colleges asking her questions about being a successful black woman. What it actually means to her to preserve.

“I have been at, probably, every powerful table there is in the world. I’ve been at G-summits, I’ve been in castles and palaces, in boardrooms and academic universities. And I’m coming down from the mountaintop to tell every young person that is poor and working-class and has been told, regardless of the color of your skin, that you don’t belong, don’t listen to them. They don’t even know how they got into those seats”

Knock Down The House

This movie is a little different because it is not just about one person but four different women from different places across the US trying to speak up. This shows how just to get one seat at the table is extremely hard to do and to see that only one of the four women makes it is very devastating. The four democratic women who run are Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin all back in 2018 who were trying to get a seat in congress.

“Being a woman of color, our image is really scrutinized. You have to speak like this, you have to dress like this, I decided that ‘Yea, I don’t care.’ Basically, you deal with it. You know, people in my district, this is how we look. I’m going to serve and represent the people of my district.” Cori Bush

The movie does primarily focus on Alexandra Ocasio Cortez because she ends up getting her competitor. But also the true story that the women went through in order to transform Congress. Politics are includedm but it helps to show this side of how and who influences politics. All women make reasonable claims about being a woman trying to have your voice heard in this day and age. Overall, it is very uplifting to see AOC Bronx born to succeed and represent minorities in congress. Ask and propose the things that are important to the working class.

“For one of us to make it through, 100 of us have to try.” AOC

I believe that overall these two movies are by far some of the most empowering movies that actually help you see the bigger picture. These movies tell you a story of different women and different upbringings, but at the end of the day they still end up succeeding. Both AOC and Michelle Obama have made just a big difference in people's lives. Their stories are one of a kind but still stories that us minorities can find hope and motivation. Motivation to stand out and continue proving people wrong. Being the person to speak up for when something is wrong, not being afraid to give up when it gets hard. These documentaries are very helpful to young women as well to be able to see the harsh truth of the world and to learn from it. To show women that even if you fall, get back up and try again.

English - 05/20/2020 - Yaritza Montiel

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50 Ways You Can Help

10 movies/shows you can watch that speak on these issues are...