Rochester Mom is starting a brand new resource series called Give Five. The idea of Give Five is simple. We are inviting you to Give Five minutes to read through each of these posts. The series will provide you with ideas, resources, lists, and suggestions on specific topics. We acknowledge that giving five minutes is just the start…a small step in a bigger journey we can all take to become allies to our BIPOC friends, family, and neighbors.
This series is intended to be a resource for YOU and your families. Topics will vary but all will be helpful as we work towards anti-racism and expand and diversify our understanding of race and diversity. Some resources will be collaborative with Rochester Mom writers, and for others, we’ll look to YOU! We want to know what you have learned on your own journeys and what resources have helped you along the way. Our goal with this series is to be a conduit of information: pulling together resources to help one another. We are learning ourselves and it’s been a challenging yet beautiful process. Will you join us?
This month we are sharing some organizations that are making a difference for people of color on a national scale. These programs and initiatives are doing some very important work. If you feel inspired, contact the organization to see how you can get involved or donate if you’re able.
To start, we wanted to highlight some organizations you might not be aware of:
Native Hope
Native Hope is a resource that helps Native communities meet their needs. We talk with community members, listen to their challenges, and partner with tribal entities to find solutions—in a unified effort to dismantle barriers, empower leaders, and give hope for a promising tomorrow.
Native Hope has been active in providing outreach to families affected by COVID-19. During the month of August they traveled 1,300 miles across the state of South Dakota. During this time they brought supports such as furniture, school supplies, and other essentials to a shelter for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. They also delivered essential items to a child-home-visiting program. To read more about their recent work, check out their regularly updated Hope Reports.
How you can help
Many communities that Native Hope serves go without appropriate clothing for winter, as well as gifts and meals during the holidays. This season Native Hope is asking for monetary donations to help as many Native American families as they can. The deadline is December 17, click here to donate.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Dream Corps
Dream Corps closes prison doors and opens doors of opportunity. We bring people together across racial, social, and partisan lines to create a future with freedom and dignity for all.
The Dream Corps held an event earlier this month celebrating the anniversary of the First Step Act, which was a 2018 bill signed into law to improve outcomes for those involved in the criminal justice system and to reduce the size of the federal prison population. Click here to see other updates.
How you can help
Donate to Dream Corps here.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Grassroots Law Project
Grassroots Law Project bridges the gap between grassroots organizing and legal expertise in criminal justice reform by bringing millions of us together to address the most pressing and egregious failures of the system, hold powerful actors accountable, and advocate for deep structural change.
Grassroots Law Project has been working to support families and change policies since June of 2020. The people in their communities make phone calls and get signatures in support of justice for people of color. They’ve played a big part in electing leaders who advocate for civil rights. Their advocacy has helped free innocent Black men against unjust sentences. They’ve aided with re-entry to society for those who have been incarcerated, as well as supporting families who have lost loved ones. They’ve raised over $800,000 for bail funds nationwide. To read more highlights, click here.
How you can help
Currently, Grassroots law is running over 30 campaigns for change across the country. Their work is possible with support from donations. Click here to see how you can help.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
RAICES
We provide affirmative, defensive, and litigation services to low-income immigrants. We empower the community by offering services to remove barriers of oppression, multiply agents of change, and increase clients’ quality of life. We offer a wide range of services including case management, resettlement assistance, a national hotline to connect migrants with local community resources, and transit support for recently released migrants.
The case managers at RAICES provide assessments and services to their clients. The Canopy Hotline connects people to the services they need. The RAICES Bus Station Project provides information and connections to those who have been released from Border Patrol facilities and detention centers. To read about more projects RAICES is doing, click here.
How you can help
Click here to donate.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Families Belong Together
Families Belong Together works to permanently end family separation and detention, seek accountability for the harm that’s been done, and immediately reunite all families who remain torn apart.
Families Belong Together has raised millions of dollars for immigrant families and works diligently to reunite families that have been separated. They work to bring awareness, and change the way Americans think about migrants and their families.
How you can help
You can support Families Belong Together by sharing one of their pre-written posts to your social media feed, or printing one of their posters here. They also have a really cute book available for purchase! All proceeds from go straight to Families Belong Together.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Other national organizations worth checking out:
NAACP
Our vision is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination. Together with more than 2 million activists across the country we work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Human Rights Campaign
By inspiring and engaging individuals and communities, the Human Rights Campaign strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Together Rising
Together Rising identifies what is breaking the hearts of our givers as they look around their world and their community, and then we connect our givers’ generosity with the people and organizations who are effectively addressing that critical need. Most of Together Rising’s funds are raised through love flash mobs, time-limited fundraisers that have revolutionized crowd-sourced online giving, with thousands of strangers giving a maximum of $25 to meet a particular need in a matter of hours.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Trevor Project
Our vision is to always be the world’s largest and best-in-class provider of suicide prevention and crisis intervention services for LGBTQ youth, and serve as a leading voice in education, advocacy, and research related to LGBTQ youth and mental health.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Planned Parenthood
At Planned Parenthood our mission is to ensure all people have access to the care and resources they need to make informed decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures. Each year, Planned Parenthood delivers vital sexual and reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. Through advocacy and outreach to targeted constituencies, The Leadership Conference works toward the goal of a more open and just society — an America as good as its ideals.
Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
