Bear Witness, Take Action
Jun 15, 2020 – [[read-time]] minute read
'This is a time when we can actually make some ground' — Kimberlé Crenshaw, Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum and Professor of Law at UCLA and Columbia.”
Over the past few weeks, we have mourned the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade — and the other known and unknown victims of racial terror and violence. These killings occurred against the backdrop of a global pandemic that disproportionately ravaged the Black community and surfaced entrenched racial inequities. In our anguish, we have taken to the streets in protest — in every state and around the globe — to demand the dismantling of systemic racism in society.
On Saturday, June 13, Common and Keke Palmer hosted a conversation called "Bear Witness, Take Action" to create a virtual space. It raised awareness on the urgent need for racial justice, and supported the Equal Justice Initiative. It featured conversations with creators including Jouelzy and Ambers Closet; prominent activists including co-founders of Black Lives Matter; Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors; Bryan Stevenson, founder of Equal Justice Initiative; bestselling author Roxane Gay; journalist Soledad O’Brien; and powerful musical performances from John Legend, Trey Songz, Brittany Howard and many more important voices.
The effort to combat racial inequality will take continued work from all of us. Last week, Susan Wojcicki shared YouTube’s commitment to the Black community, and we will continue those efforts in the months and years ahead.
These are some ways that you can take action to end police violence against Black Americans and promote a more equitable world for all people:
Learn about policies and proposed changes like those available via The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights or Center for Policing Equity. Learn about the history and struggle for racial justice through resources like those available at the Equal Justice Initiative. Learn about actions you can take in your community now at Imagine Justice. For those who seek to be better allies, learn more about anti-racism using resources like those available at Racial Equity Tools.
Check out the YouTube Spotlight playlists for videos on these topics:
Check out these feature films and series that have been made available free to watch and rent on YouTube:
Use your platform to call out racial injustice, and share the message of equality to educate those around you. Maybe your platform is the dinner table, maybe it’s bedtime stories, maybe it’s your YouTube Channel. Use it!
Turn your voice into action with your vote.
These are some ways that you can take action to end police violence against Black Americans and promote a more equitable world for all people:
Read
Learn about policies and proposed changes like those available via The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights or Center for Policing Equity. Learn about the history and struggle for racial justice through resources like those available at the Equal Justice Initiative. Learn about actions you can take in your community now at Imagine Justice. For those who seek to be better allies, learn more about anti-racism using resources like those available at Racial Equity Tools.
Watch
Check out the YouTube Spotlight playlists for videos on these topics:
- Creators Speak Out
- Understanding Racial Justice
- Voices from the Past
- How to Talk to Kids about Racial Justice
- Continuing the Conversation
Check out these feature films and series that have been made available free to watch and rent on YouTube:
Speak up
Use your platform to call out racial injustice, and share the message of equality to educate those around you. Maybe your platform is the dinner table, maybe it’s bedtime stories, maybe it’s your YouTube Channel. Use it!
Vote
Turn your voice into action with your vote.