All remote services will be unavailable on Friday July 3rd in observance of Independence Day.  Happy holidays!

This weekend saw an explosion in activism around the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. While the reaction to Floyd's death is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the frustration and anger that people are feeling right now, it's important that we take advantage of this activist energy and mobilize it against racial injustice and police brutality. However, the unrelenting stream of stories and images flooding our newsfeeds may have left you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to help the movement. Fortunately, it doesn't need to be so challenging. We've gathered a short-list of things that you can do, and most of them don't even require you to leave your home. The time to act is now, so let's get to it:

1. Sign a petition

We all know that the immediate goal of a petition is to persuade its target. Whether you want justice for George Floyd or any other victim of police brutality, a petition is a great way to show your support of a movement and to influence people in power to create change. Another less recognized benefit of signing a petition is that it recruits you to the cause and you're far more likely to continue to support it in the future.

Links:

Justice for George Floyd or text "FLOYD" to 55156 to sign

List of Petitions to Sign


2. Donate

If you have the means to donate right now, you absolutely should. There are so many causes out there that need our support, whether it's bail funds for protesters who have been arrested, support for the Floyd family, or larger activist organizations like Black Lives Matter. If you can't donate, share any of the links below on social media to get the word out.

Links:

Black Lives Matter Donation Page

Official George Floyd Memorial Fund

Crowdsourced Google Doc of Cities' Bail Funds

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

ACLU

Black Owned Businesses Twitter Thread


3. Read a book or watch a tv show/movie

Education is the best way to arm yourself against ignorance and intolerance. There are, of course, unending recommendations that we could make, but we'll limit the list to the following:

Books:

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (on BC overdrive or as an audiobook)

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (on BC overdrive)

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption  by Bryan Stevenson (on BC overdrive as an audiobook)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley 

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (on BC overdrive)

TV shows/movies:

13th  - available on Netflix 

Mudbound - available on Netflix 

Dear White People - available on Netflix

Black Panther - available on Disney+

Insecure - available on HBO

Selma - available on Amazon Prime

12 Years a Slave - available on Amazon Prime

Moonlight  - available on Netflix

2 Dope Queens - available on HBO

Atlanta - available on Hulu

4. Write to elected officials

Believe it or not, politicians count the number of emails and phone calls they receive. Not sure what to write? The best advice is to keep it simple, short, and genuine. Unique messages resonate the best. Here's a list of issues that disproportionately affect people of color that you can write to your elected officials about:

- Mandatory body cameras for police officers

- Mandatory deescalation training for police officers

- Reducing minimum prison sentences

- Reducing sentencing for non-violent crimes

- Decriminalization of marijuana 

- Ending solitary confinement

- Support for Affirmative Action

- Replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day

- Ending cash bail

Links:

Find the contact information for your Congressional Representative here

Find the contact information for your Senators here

Find the contact information for your Governor here

5. Vote 

President Obama recently wrote an article about how we can "make this moment the turning point for real change." One of the best pieces of wisdom in his article is how important it is for us to vote, not just at the federal level, but at the local and state ones. The people we elect at these levels are the ones who are the most responsible for the criminal justice system and police practices. Do your research before local elections and make sure to show up on voting day. 

All remote services will be unavailable on Memorial Day, Monday May 25th.

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Curious about what Tupac, Marilyn, MLK, Katharine Hepburn, or David Bowie had in their libraries? Check out their Legacy Libraries and many more on #librarything, where we’ve added Robert Morris’s library, held by BC’s own @bcburnslibrary! URL: librarything.com/legacylibraries Images are either in the public domain, from the Library of Congress or National Archives with no restrictions, or used under a Creative Commons license: https://Creative Commons.org/licenses/by-bc-as/2.0/. Images of Tupac Shakur, Ernest Hemingway, David Bowie, and Julia Child attributed to Zennie Abraham, Il Tonnotto, Robert Sullivan, and Lynn Gilbert, respectively.

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The Wolters Kluwer Online Study Aid Library (WKOSAL) offers online digital access to over 200  study aids and added video and audio content to provide an illustration of the legal theory. This video demonstrates how you would log in, access content, and utilize the online library tools to prepare for your next class or exam.

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Taking time to focus on mental health is important, especially during times of uncertainly.  Join Law Library Director Filippa Anzalone for bi-weekly meditation sessions on Zoom on Tuesday and Thursdays from 12-12:40pm.