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If you’ve found yourself on this site, it’s likely because you have an interest in and dedication to social justice. In the weeks since the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, we have found ourselves in the midst of a global uprising for racial justice unlike any we’ve ever seen before. I write this post on July 10th in Denver, CO where daily protests for racial and social justice continue. The New York Times has stated this is likely the largest movement in U.S. history, citing that between 15 and 26 million individuals participated in protests across the nation [1] In addition to physical demonstrations, social media platforms have been flooded with resources for educating oneself on topics such as systemic racism, the case for police and prison abolition, and Indigenous rights. These include suggested readings, podcast, lectures, actions, talking points, businesses to support and businesses to boycott, etc. This information has dominated Instagram stories and twitter feeds over the last month. Putting aside the (very necessary) conversation about the phenomena of optical allyship [2] that social media perpetuates, we can’t negate the wonderful resources that have been elevated or developed to support education (and reeducation) on these topics. This week I would like to highlight a new section in our database where some of the social media based resources on Black identity and the arts can be found: Bibliographies + Databases. If you find yourself on the website hoping to dig into the intersection of social justice and craft in a more general capacity, I might suggest starting here. Give these folks a follow, soak up their knowledge, financially support their efforts if you can, and join us in educating yourself. -Leslie  @BlackCraftspeopleDA on Instagram Black Craftspeople Digital Archive is dedicated to telling the stories of Black Craftspeople and the objects they created. They have a website that, though not fully launched, does include a syllabus/reading list. @ablackhistoryofart on Instagram was developed by Alayo Akinkugbe, a second year History of Art student at Cambridge University, and “highlights the overlooked black artists, sitters, curators and thinkers from Art History and the present day”. Be sure to check out the reading list they developed! @BlackArtLibrary on Instagram is “a growing collection of books intended to be an educational resource on visual art by Black artists” It is curated by Asmaa Walton. The Black Art library “is intended to be an educational resource to share within the Black community and beyond. The Black Art Library will be eventually be a physical space that acts as a non-lending library based in … Detroit, MI.” If you would like to support Walton's efforts you can find a fundraiser here: https://gf.me/u/yfygk7 The Photographer’s Green Book (@photogreenbook on Instagram) was created by Jay Simple to gather “resources for an IDEA-Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy.” Though this account exists on Instagram, much of the resources can be found in a shared folder that Simple created. Comments are closed.
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