Standing in Solidarity

 

We are proud to stand together in solidarity with our Black employees, agents, clients, and communities. Today’s post is authored by Alexis Stewart, Marketing Coordinator in San Francisco. We encourage all to explore these resources and opportunities to get involved, donate, and educate ourselves.


Team,

Saying “Thank You” does not begin to even express my sincere gratitude that I have for you all for allowing me to take the time to share my message and perspective at yesterday’s meeting regarding racial injustice in America and a call to action for long lasting change. 

After yesterday’s office meeting, Patrick and I received an overwhelming amount of support and beautiful letters – but most importantly, a huge number of you want to commit to a change and contribute! While we are committed to working on creating outreach programs for the community and for our office to continually foster a diverse environment, we immediately wanted to put together a longer list of resources and places to start for getting involved, donating, and educating. This is a longer version of the newsletter that was sent out last week. 

On the call yesterday, we discussed how essential it is to take the time to educate yourself and each other. Even for my personal experience, I spent time outside of school reading books and papers about Civil Rights, black history, and black activists. My mom always made sure I had a book in my hand growing up. Knowledge is truly power. 

We need to learn from the past and move forward together. 

Every single change counts – 

It is The Path Towards Healing our community, each other, and our nation. 

If any of you have come across different organizations or books/films that have blown you away and you would love to share them, we would absolutely love to hear from you! Personally, I am a huge James Baldwin fan and a book on this list I want to highlight is “The Hate U Give” from Angie Thomas – it resonates with both teens and adults and touches on various points in a really incredible way. 

Once again, I am eternally grateful for the outpouring of support this community has shown and am emboldened by it. 

Listen and love each other more fiercely than ever.

Alexis Stewart, Marketing Coordinator- San Francisco


Sign Petitions For:

  • Justice for George Floyd
  • Justice for Ahmaud Arbery
  • Justice for Breonna Taylor
  • The Hands Up Act
  • Color of Change
  • National Coalition
  • National Action Network
  • Rainbow PUSH
  • Data for Black Lives

Email/Text:

 

Support The Bay Area’s Black-Owned Restaurants

Many of us have spent the past week looking for ways to support the movement happening around the country. One incredibly important, tangible way to show up is by supporting Black-owned restaurants – which is why Infatuation has put together this list of the Bay Area’s restaurants, organized by city, that are currently open for delivery and takeout.

 

Find & Support Black-Owned Businesses With These Apps & Websites

If you’re looking to find a Black-owned business — perhaps in time for take-out dinner tonight — Download these apps and visit these websites to find restaurants, stores, and a variety of different establishments all founded by Black entrepreneurs.

 


 

Black Youth Project

BYP100 is dedicated to improving the lived experiences of Black people. Central to their direct action and issue advocacy work, is the need to ensure that we have funds to support not only this work, but the folks that put their lives and freedom on the line.

 

Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Established in 1987, TMCF is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education space. The organization is also a source for top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs.

 

National Lawyers Guild

For 80 years, the National Lawyers Guild has led the fight to protect the people’s rights. By helping the Guild, you directly aid our legal support in labor struggles, international rights monitoring, mass defense of political speech, rebuffing attacks on immigrants, women, people of color, LGBTQ persons, prisoners, and others facing government and institutional oppression.

 

National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls

Our mission is to end incarceration of women and girls. We do this by providing a membership platform of technical support, complex coalition building, and comprehensive resources that assist local initiatives to organize toward our shared goal of shifting from a criminal legal system to one based on human justice.

 

Center for Policing Equity

Center for Policing Equity’s work continues to simultaneously aid police departments to realize their own equity goals as well as advance the scientific understanding of issues of equity within organizations and policing.

 

Higher Heights for America

Higher Heights is the only national organization providing Black women with a political home exclusively dedicated to harnessing their power to expand Black women’s elected representation and voting participation, and advance progressive policies.

 

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.

 

Movement for Black Lives

The Movement for Black Lives was created as a space for Black organizations across the country to debate and discuss the current political conditions, develop shared assessments of what political interventions were necessary in order to achieve key policy, cultural and political wins, convene organizational leadership in order to debate and co-create a shared movement wide strategy. Under the fundamental idea that we can achieve more together than we can separately.

 

The Bail Project

We believe that paying bail for someone in need is an act of resistance against a system that criminalizes race and poverty and an act of solidarity with local communities and movements for decarceration. 

 

Compass Stands with the Black Community

At Compass, we believe in a few simple things at our core: The power of community. The importance of everyone finding their place in the world. But with the injustices happening across our country, we know that first, we must make the world a better place. Together we stand in solidarity with our Black employees, agents, clients, and communities.


Interesting Podcasts to Listen to

  • Shine Brighter Together
  • Code Switch
  • Still Processing
  • Pod Save the People
  • The Nod
  • The Stoop
  • Identity Politics
  • On One with Angela Rye

 

Black Artists to Check Out on Instagram

 

14 Books by Black Women You Need to Read

Black History Month may have come and gone, but we shouldn’t wait until February to celebrate Black people, Black lives, and Black culture. Here is a compiled list of 14 books by Black women you should read—at any time of the year. 

 

Compass Staff Pick Reading List

  • The Color of the Law
  • White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism
  • White Rage
  • Between the World and Me
  • NY Times Anti-Racism Reading List
  • Tears We Cannot Stop
  • Blind Spot
  • The Hate U Give
  • Notes of a Native Son

 

Films & Videos

  • The Negro & the American Progress
  • 13th
  • What Matters
  • Just Mercy
  • King in the Wilderness
  • The Urgency of Intersectionality
  • Time: The Kalief Browder Story
  • I Am Not Your Negro
  • When They See Us

 

Data Sources

  • The Citizens Police Data Project
  • Mapping Police Violence
  • Racial Economic Inequality

 

Turning Pain Into Progress

Read the thoughts and feelings that Robert Reffkin, CEO of Compass has written out and displayed towards George Floyd including what is currently happening in America. This is a strong and heartfelt message that speaks to many others who are hurting during these times.