Thread by @NeverAgainActn

Never Again means fighting for Black lives.

For everyone who follows us on Twitter but isn't on our mailing list, we want to share with you the email we sent out yesterday.

If you'd like to join the email list, you can do so here: neveragainaction.com/join-the-fight

This is an unprecedented multi-racial, inter-generational uprising for Black lives. We're all in.

Never Again was founded by Jews dedicated to sparing others the persecution, torture, & mass murder our people have suffered.

Black organizers are calling for us all to join the fight to end 400 years of their persecution, torture, & mass murder.

It is a call we must answer.

We also know that the fight for Black lives is the core of the fight against white supremacy and the forces that uphold it: dehumanization, hatred, and state violence.

These evils are absolutely at the root of the work we've been doing alongside our immigrant neighbors:

• The sadistic jails where ICE locks up immigrants exist because of this country's deep commitment to criminalizing & hurting Black people.

• The immigrants suffering in these places are disproportionately Black, because undocumented Black people are targeted for deportation.

• The fear and scapegoating of non-white immigrants that turns into walls and camps is rooted in the racial hierarchies created to justify slavery and the genocide of indigenous people.

It is white supremacy, not Black and brown people, that we need to fear.

• Hitler's framework for understanding race and his obsession with racial purity were overwhelmingly based on the work of American anti-Black eugenicists. He referred to a book written by one of them as his 'bible.'

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

Black organizers are leading a fierce, beautiful, uncompromising transformation of this country. A movement like we've never seen.

But fascists are also out in force: racist police are rioting nationwide, as the New York Times publishes a call for the army to kill protesters.

One way or another, history is being written. This either marks the beginning of a truly multi-racial democracy committed to the wellbeing of all the people who live here, or the moment that those committed to a white America seize total power.

We have to win.

So we're expanding our work to support the uprising for Black lives with our time, platform, and resources.

Our goal is to mobilize and support our existing network of Jews & allies, many already in the streets, and get more Jews & allies into the streets for the first time.

Supporting the uprising for Black lives in this way is a moral imperative.

It is also the absolute center of the fight for an America that values the worth & dignity of everyone who lives here, including our immigrant neighbors we have been fighting alongside.

As a national core team, we are still in the early stages of figuring out the right way to organize and mobilize Jews & allies in support of this struggle, without diverting attention or control or resources away from Black-led organizing efforts.

As our first step we're reaching out to our local leaders across the country to understand how people have been plugging in so far, what kinds of support Black organizers on the ground there are asking for, and how we can help.

But there's no question that each and every one of us needs to SHOW UP.

That means donating to Black organizations, listening to Black voices, and if you possibly can, showing up in the streets right now for the Movement for Black Lives Week of Action.

m4bl.org/week-of-action/

For Jews, it means centering & learning from Black Jews.

FOLLOW: @ashkenegro @aptly_engineerd @EvanTraylor @BlewishAnd @JoyousJustice @temasmith @mordkhetzvi @MaNishtana @IBJIYONGI @telushk @AdamSerwer @KosherSoul @ylove @rabbisandra @amaditalks

READ: jta.org/2020/05/31/uni…

Showing Up In The Streets

Being at a protest means different things for each of us, depending on our bodies, our minds, and how we are perceived by society. We each make our own decisions about what risks we can take and what sacrifices we can make.

The more privileges you hold, the more important it is to be in the streets for all those who cannot be there.

The more privileges you hold, the more you are needed in moments of conflict and risk to keep others safe.

If you can, be the woman in red:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1266497944796225538

Safety

Please take the time to read these three guides on staying as safe as possible while protesting.

Change the NYPD: changethenypd.org/sites/default/…

Wired: wired.com/story/how-to-p…

VICE: vice.com/en_us/article/…

Make sure you come with a buddy, and stay together no matter what. Talk in advance about the risks you're each able and willing to take. Be honest with each other about the risks you each face depending on your identities, mental and physical health, responsibilities, etc.

Showing Up In Solidarity

If you are not Black, and especially if you are white, here are important principles to keep in mind:

• Follow the lead of local Black organizers. Every city & protest is different, so do not let these guidelines get in the way of LISTENING!

• Keep others safe. If our top priority was our own safety, we wouldn't protest at all.

Right now, there is a need for as many people as possible to be brave and use their body to prevent police from harming Black activists.

Can you be one of those people?

It could mean being part of a 'white wall' if asked by Black organizers. Or it could mean jumping into the fray to keep the police from grabbing a Black person or another person of color.

This is a time to dig deep, to find courage you didn't know you had.

Speaking of risk, you should NEVER be the one to escalate a situation. Do not antagonize police, set fires, throw things, or do anything likely to bring more police or agitate the cops already there.

When the cops retaliate, it will likely be against Black people, not you.

• Don't take up space. These protests are Black-led, and they exist to bring attention to Black voices and Black demands (like #DefundThePolice).

The protest is not about you.

Unless you're asked to do these things by Black organizers, do not do them:

Don't weigh in on where the protest should go or how it should be conducted.

Don't speak on the megaphone or start your own chants.

Don't give an interview to the press.

In our immigration work, we often speak publicly about the connections between Jewish history & the treatment of immigrants as a tool to bring attention to the struggle for immigrant rights. This is a different situation; if we are part of the story, we're doing something wrong.

Do Not Engage With Police

American policing evolved from slave patrols, and it remains a harmful institution that is antithetical to freedom and justice. There is no reason to talk with police, cooperate with them in any way, thank them, turn anyone over to them, or call them.

Police are trained to manipulate people to obtain information, and nothing good will come from your interactions with them. If Black organizers or protesters choose to engage with them on their own terms, that is their choice to make, not yours.

We end this thread with a quote from @mordkhetzvi:

“Solidarity with Black people doesn’t require a radical act of historical imagination. You are here. We are here. You know what to do. Do it. Now.”

jta.org/2020/05/31/uni…