(compiled in 2020, revised 2023) Spring 2021
Many pagans, regardless of their particular tradition, share a central and foundational value: that the Earth is sacred, and therefore all beings of the Earth are also sacred. This positions pagans as natural champions for environmental conservation, but it can and should also serve as a call to defend social justice and human rights for all. Our spirituality affirms that all beings, including all humans, have inherent value and are inextricably intertwined. We cannot ignore the web we are a part of when any of us remain at risk.
The consistent and profound disregard for the value of Black lives throughout the United States is as devastating as it is criminal. We have a shared responsibility to demand accountability and justice from the structures that enable and perpetuate the unceasing murder of African Americans, including #GeorgeFloyd, #BreonnaTaylor, and #AhmaudArbery. These include our police forces, which are engaging in unacceptable levels of violence, including racially motivated violence, but also our entire criminal justice system and the laws of our land themselves.
The pagan movement in this country, although diverse in many ways, is overwhelmingly White, affording most of us the privilege to choose whether or not to engage with this crisis. Today we urge you to make a strong and deliberate choice to engage, to listen well to Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) who are speaking strongly, and to allow your spirituality to compel you to action.
Challenging times require each of us to balance problem-solving, positive action, and emotional processing, pacing ourselves so that we can sustain the effort. Wherever you find yourself at the present time, there are many avenues through which you can lend your support. A few are included below.
(These resources and lists were compiled in 2020, reviewed in 2023)
Contribute to a Bail Fund:
Here’s a good one: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/freeblackmamas2020
Choose a specific cause to contribute to. Here are a few:
https://bestlifeonline.com/charities-for-black-history-month/
NAACP Legal Support Fund – (via video segment with Trevor Noah) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c)
Educate yourself:
Here is a list of books and articles appropriate to read with children
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR10wmrAIXVv0XjqS-hKLhwnAel-WYhyNQHcqWtDvMUQsTCGnGojc5Xp6yg
Here is another one:
https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/black-lives-matter-reading-list
Learn about the BIPOC movement (Black, Indigenous and People of Color)
https://www.thebipocproject.org/
Also: https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/best-african-american-history-apps-and-websites
Watch the movie “13th” available on NETFLIX; Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay’s examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country’s history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. This piercing, Oscar-nominated film won Best Documentary at the Emmys, the BAFTAs and the NAACP Image Awards. US Rating: TV-MA For mature audiences. This film was released in 2016.
Listen to the podcast “1619” from the NY Times; An audio series on how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling.
Subscribe, join and support: