Hitting Pause

Normally, I’d be telling you some cheeky story right now about a time I defeated my middle school bully or a date gone awry, then wrap it around to something tech-related you can do to make yourself feel better. There isn’t space for that right now, and I don’t have the energy for it. People are hurting, racial injustice and police brutality are more prevalent than ever, and we need to confront the ways people of color have been hurt by the power structures in place.

We all want to help, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to know what to say, how to address it, or how to be a good ally. There’s no shortage of resources out there, but there’s a lot to sift through. Though it’s by no means a definitive list, I gathered together some readings and resources to help answer some of the questions you may have, and help give you a starting point to having tough conversations about injustice and racism with the people in your life.

• The Pandemic Of Black Trauma Will Never End (Refinery29): Read this piece from Kathleen Newman-Bremang to start understanding the urgency of standing up for Black Americans and speaking out against anti-black racism.

• Can’t protest? That’s okay, there are still other ways to help, and this thread helps outline some of the things you can do.

• On that note, this site rounds up a number of ways you can help, from signing petitions to donating and protesting, and there’s even a list of readings for educating yourself on the state of racism in America, and an introductory briefing on anti-racism.

• How to More Safely Protest in a Pandemic (Vox): If you’re out showing your allyship through protesting, here’s a guide on how to do so safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, if you’re taking photos from protests and plan on posting them, here’s a tool to blur the faces of protestors and remove photo metadata to protect the anonymity of protestors.

We’ll be back with a new issue soon. Until then, stay safe out there.