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“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.“- Martin Luther king
No More Silence. We are all Equal. And it is time to make a CHANGE.
The Women’s Best team wants to show its solidarity and support to the black community and the #BlackLivesMatter movement in their fight against systematic and institutional Racism.
Black Lives Matter: What is it, how did it begin and what does it try to accomplish?
Black Lives Matter is an international human rights movement against systematic and institutional racism towards black people. As many other black community movements, Black Lives Matter has been seeking justice and equality since long years. Black Lives Matter started in 2013, in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman. The movement began with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. The movement was co-founded by three black community organizers: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi.
The #BlackLivesMatter and protests seeking justice and equality has sparked after the death of George Floyd, 46, after being handcuffed by the police in Minnesota. An officer responding to a report that Mr. Floyd had tried to pass a fake $20 bill helped hold him down by lodging a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Mr. Floyd was unresponsive for nearly three minutes of the encounter after he repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.”
Now, you may ask yourself: ‘Why not ALL LIVES MATTER?’. Of course, all lives matter, we and the movement did not say that ‘only’ black lives matter. Saying that ‘Black Lives Matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter.
However, in the fight against racism, our message is aggregated and focused towards the violence and injustice towards the black community. The message is that Black Lives are worthy and valuable. And this is why we will keep saying it loud: BLACK LIVES MATTER.
What has Women’s Best done to support the black community?
Our Black community of supporters and athletes gives us big pride and endless support and we owe them a lot. Below is what Women’s Best is doing to help the black community and stand in solidarity with them:
- We as Women’s Best are committed to use our voice, platform and reach to deliver a clear message and say: NO TO RACISM!
- We are working closely with our black athletes and community to represent them in a better way, listen to them and amplify their voice.
- We are committed to educate ourselves and our internal team about racism and learn more on how to fight against it.
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We have donated $25,000 to The Minnesota Freedom Fund – a community based non-profit that pays bail and immigration bond for those who cannot afford to. Seeking to reduce discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.
- We have launched the Brittne Jackson x Women’s Best athlete series line. Together with Brittne, we decided that all the profits generated by the line during its launch week (Monday 8th June 2020 to Sunday 14th June 2020) shall be donated to Black Lives Matter.
We will keep the support towards the black community going. Any comments and ideas are welcome in the comment section below.
How can YOU support Black Lives Matter and the black community?
In our fight against racism, we all can support in different ways. Every one of us has their own language and capabilities towards making a difference.
Below are some ways to show solidarity, help and support to BLM:
1. Educate yourself on the challenges of the black community
Nowadays, there are several ways for self-teaching. Don’t wait for black people to need to educate you. Do this yourself!
Books you can read:
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad
- Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Netflix series you can watch:
- The 13th
- Who killed Malcom X
Podcasts you can listen to:
- 1619
- Code Switch
2. Sign Petitions
There are several petitions seeking justice to the black community and violence against them. You can add your name and sign BLM petitions as:
3. Donate to organizations fighting white supremacy and racism
Here are some organisations that you can fund right now to support black people and help the fight against racism. Every dollar matters.
4. Show support and solidarity on social media
Social media has the loudest voice nowadays; you can use your account for amplifying the voice of black people & anti-racism activists seeking justice by reposting their content.
5. Listen to your black friends and show support
These times are tough and sensitive for black people who have been always advocating for their rights. During this time, it is important to check in on your black friends & keep your ears open to them.
6. Support Black Owned Businesses
To help black people at an individual level, the best way is by supporting their businesses. We are quite sure you can easily find many online black owned businesses and local black owned businesses near you by searching: ‘Black Owned Grocery / nail salon / etc. near me’
7. Support Black Creators on social media
There are many talented and creative black creators on social media. Depending on your interest, you can search for black influencers and creators (e.g. in fitness, beauty, cooking, travel etc.)
As a fitness brand, we are proud to work and be represented by some of the most influential female fitness black athletes who are always sharing valuable fitness advice, workouts and motivation.
Here is a list of some inspiring black women in fitness:
There are many more inspiring black women and creators. To find more black women in fitness or any other industry, you can do some Google research and we are sure you will find plenty of amazing women that you can follow and fill your feed with black beauty magic.
Please share the word with your friends and keep speaking up when you see any racism or injustice. Please leave us a comment with more ideas and resources you found helpful to support the black community.
Let’s create a better life for all of us and stand stronger together. Let’s be united for good and be kind to each other. Together, we can make a difference as our efforts add up to a significant change.
#WomensBest #StrongerTogether #NoToRacism
