America has finally woken up to the systemic racism that is embedded in our country, and it's up to white people to continue educating themselves on how we contribute to it. When George Floyd's murder (opens in new tab) sparked Black Lives Matter protests across all 50 states, articles flooded the internet with reading lists composed of Black authors (opens in new tab), documentaries on Black history (opens in new tab) to watch, and resources on how to be a white ally (opens in new tab). These are all great, but if we're going to implement real change in our everyday lives, we'll need to do the work offline and seek out additional resources that aren't constantly being reposted on social media.
A great way to begin expanding our traditional reading list is by subscribing to daily, weekly, and monthly newsletters like these, below, that will help keep us informed on important issues our country is facing. There are also, of course, the newsletters that simply exist to entertain—providing us with new voices and perspectives that may not have reached us otherwise.
Vote.org Election Reminders
The change we want to see begins with who we choose as our leaders. Vote.org's (opens in new tab) newsletter sends important upcoming election reminders and recurring text messages if you choose to submit your phone number. Register to vote here (opens in new tab).
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Well-Read Black Girl
Well-Read Black Girl (opens in new tab) is an online destination slash IRL nationwide book club that amplifies the voices of Black writers. This is where the whole "don't just read books about injustices towards Black people" comes into play. It's important to read books by Black authors to enjoy the collective experience of Black people. Well-Read Black Girl encourages readers who identify as genderqueer, non-binary, or others to join its community. The newsletter specifically focuses on sharing new reads by Black women writers and information on upcoming events.
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ACLU Weekly Newsletter
Every Saturday, the ACLU (opens in new tab) will send out a roundup of important civil rights and civil liberties developments, as well as analysis from lawyers, activists, and organizers. In addition to subscribing to the newsletter, you can also sign up for text alerts by texting "FIGHT" to 82623.
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Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (opens in new tab) frequently posts resources for people using the #BlackLivesMatter and #BLM hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. Another way to stay in the loop is by signing up for the organization's newsletter, which will send updates on events, how to support its work, and direct access to resources.
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Fruity by Phillip Picardi
Phil Picardi, former EIC of Out Magazine, CCO of Teen Vogue, and founder of Them, launched a newsletter called "Fruity" that shares his beautiful, introspective pieces of writing like, "Three of the People Behind the Numbers," where he spoke to people who lost loved ones to COVID-19, "I Have Some Regrets," where he gets candid about burnout and self-expectations, and "The Empathy Crisis of White America," where he speaks on our nation's lack of compassion while Black people continue to die at disproportionate rates than white people.
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The Innocence Project
After you've donated to community bail funds across the country (opens in new tab), subscribe to The Innocence Project's newsletter to get updated on ways you can help prevent wrongful convictions. If you're unfamiliar with The Innocence Project (opens in new tab), the organization "exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice."
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For Harriet
For Harriet (opens in new tab) is an online community that celebrates Black womanhood at its core. Kimberly Foster launched the site in June 2010, and continues to speak out about what's going on in our society on For Harriet's Instagram (opens in new tab). To put it simply: Listen to Black women.
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Lipstick and Other Stories by Jasmine Guillory
Jasmine Guillory, author of The Proposal (opens in new tab), The Wedding Date (opens in new tab), The Wedding Party (opens in new tab), and more juicy rom-coms, created a personal newsletter where she shares the books she's reading and writing, what she's cooking, the beauty products she's obsessed with, and anything else she feels compelled to talk about. The other day, she sent out an emotional newsletter (opens in new tab) centered on Breonna Taylor (opens in new tab).
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NAACP
After you've donated to the NAACP (opens in new tab) and its Legal Defense Fund (opens in new tab), sign up for the civil rights organization's newsletter and choose from topics like civic engagement, economic opportunity, education, health, and youth engagement to receive frequent updates on.
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xoNecole
xoNecole.com (opens in new tab) is a platform that aims to "promote positive images of women of color as well as empower, educate, and inspire millennials through our interviews, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, career, and travel features." Keep up with top stories on the site by subscribing to xoNecole's newsletter, where you'll receive a free empowerment workbook when you enter your information.
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National Center for Transgender Equality
Black Trans Lives Matter. The National Center for Transgender Equality (opens in new tab), the nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization for transgender people, continues to amplify this message. Show your support for transgender people by subscribing to the center's newsletter and learning about opportunities to get involved with the organization.
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Teen Vogue Take
Teen Vogue's dedicated news and politics newsletter, Teen Vogue Take, is an easy way to make sure you're staying on top of what's going on in the social justice arena. Even though the magazine's target audience is teens, the content is relevant to people of all ages and identities.
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Everytown for Gun Safety
Say it with me: Police violence is gun violence. Everytown for Gun Safety (opens in new tab) works in tandem with Moms Demand Action to keep subscribers informed on what petitions to sign, legislation that plans to be enacted or repealed by lawmakers, and how we can fight for common-sense gun reform.
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WTF Is Ashley Ray Tweeting About Now?
Comedian and writer Ashley Ray (opens in new tab) created a newsletter that explains her tweets more in-depth, which is the content we could all use right about now. She covers topics from why we shouldn't ask Black people to teach us about race to why she shamefully watched Dave. It's genius.
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