About this project
This project is my own small contribution to Black Lives Matter in response to the murder of George Floyd—and an effort to further my own education and growth. I wanted to read Dr. King’s letter, but couldn’t find it represented well online (other than in PDF form). So I made this site.
Update: [posted on 29 March, 2021] After receiving a thoughtful note from a history professor pointing out that the text I had originally posted was abridged, I compared a few other versions and found a more complete text available on the Bill of Rights Institute website (among a few other sources) and updated it here as well. And as the professor pointed out—it’s worth it for the last paragraph alone. It is a stunningly moving passage.
Getting involved
Should you be so moved, you can find places to donate to bail funds, learn more about the Black Visions Collective, or search through Florida Elago’s extensive database for ways you can help and/or contribute. I’ve added lots more below. To learn more about Dr. King, visit The King Center.
Education & Engagement
Since I’m a middle-aged white male, I know there is a lot I don’t know, and a lot I simply don’t experience. These are some of the people and resources that are helping me learn:
- Black Lives Matter has a tremendous action-focused resource page that’s well worth exploring
- Amélie Lamont wrote a really thoughtful critique of AIGA Design’s suggestion that violent, racist policing in the United States could be “redesigned”
- Nicole Zhu has compiled a list of books for “learning about the history and legacy of slavery and anti-blackness in America”.
- Tatiana Mac has written guides for white men and white women looking to understand their own impact and help make real change
- Sameera Kapila wrote an amazing Twitter thread full of resources for designers looking to understand and decode the largely White/Western biases at the core of the design industry
- Zyahna Bryant wrote an article filled with suggestions on how to educate yourself in this moment, and how to take action
Donating
Aside from donating directly to the George Floyd Memorial Fund or MN Freedom Fund, there are a number of companies offering to match donations to organizations that are doing really good work. Here are links to a few:
- Community Justice Exchange’s bail fund directory
- Campaign Zero (a non-profit dedicated to ending police violence in America)
- Web hosting company Netlify’s donation matching page is a great resource (which is where this site is hosted)
- Alex Bruno’s got a list of donation matching opportunities
Links gathered from Twitter and this excellent post from Ethan Marcotte
The full source of this project is publically available on GitHub. Please feel free to contribute, or contact me with suggestions or comments.
Respectfully,