Bi+ Ireland Supports Black Lives Matter

Bi+ Ireland completely supports the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and we share our regret and sympathies to George Floyd's family and all who have lost their lives due to murder and police brutality. We strive to be an anti-racist organisation, but with so many of our members and co-ordinators being white, we understand that we have a long way to go regarding challenging and unlearning white supremacy.

To our Black members - we see you, we hear you, and we support you. We do not condone any racism in our community, and we will take whatever action we can on a local level to support you right now, and every other day of the year, as racism doesn't just stop existing when riots and movements aren't in the headlines. Any feedback or suggestions of how we can do this better, please know our inbox is open anytime - we strive to continue to always work on this. All our love, support, and solidarity right now.

To our non-Black POC and ethnic minority members - we know that you too are affected by the discourse of racism here in Ireland and internationally at the minute, and understand it's different to the racism specifically targeted towards Black people. We offer all our love, support, and solidarity to you too.

To our white and settled members - this is a time for us to uplift and support Black voices now more than ever. If you can afford to, donate. Share from Black creators, reporters, and content-makers. Call out racism in your everyday lives today, tomorrow, and every day.

In times like this, so many of us want to help but we don't always know how. We've collected a few recommendations below.

If you want to help those in the United States, we suggest you take a look at this website with multiple different suggestions both financial and non-financial: blacklivesmatter.carrd.co

If you want to support people in Ireland that fight for racial equality there are many organisations that work towards a more equal Ireland. There will be a protest next Saturday organised by MASI - Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, Black Pride Ireland and Migrants and Ethnic-minorities for Reproductive Justice - MERJ which you can support online if you are outside the 5km radius.

For more details see the event page here.

We ask for kindness, respect, or additional event/donation rec​ommendations in the comments - but please note that this is not a stance we are debating. Any comments asking for a debate on this topic will be deleted. The internet is a tough place at the moment, and we want to do what we can to make our online community a safer space for our Black members.

Love and solidarity,

The Bi+ Ireland Coordinator Team.