UK anti-racism charities and organisations you can support right now

Looking for a way to support anti-racism efforts in the UK? Donating to these incredible charities and organisations is a great place to start.

On Monday 25 May, a 46-year-old African American man named George Floyd was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The officer, who has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, kneeled on Floyd’s neck as he struggled to breathe.

Since then, protests have erupted across the world, with people taking to the streets in cities including Los Angeles, London and Berlin to demand justice for Floyd’s murder. And across the world, celebrities and non-celebrities alike have been taking to social media in their thousands to amplify and share anti-racist movements and individuals.

In the UK, there’s a tendency to shrug off these kind of horrific events as symbolic of America’s ongoing issues – to react with “shock” and “horror” that black people are dying at the hands of white police officers, but to explain away that discomfort because “it’s not happening here”. White people in the UK are often quick to distance this country from the violence we see going on “across the pond,” as if racism and police brutality are problems unique to the US. 

Of course, the US has its own unique history of anti-black racism, and to suggest differently is to eradicate years of suffering. But in recognising America’s racism problem, we cannot – and must not – eradicate ours. 

The UK is not innocent of this kind of racist violence. The list of black people killed in police custody in this country is not short of names – Rashan Charles, Mark Duggan and Daniel Adewole are just three we should all be familiar with. And that’s not including the black people who have lost their lives in racially motivated attacks, such as Stephen Lawrence. Our country has repeatedly shown a lack of regard for black lives – and it’s about time we acknowledged this uncomfortable fact and did something about it.

For white people, this means becoming anti-racist. It is simply not enough to say “I’m not racist” and then continue to act like nothing is wrong – to become anti-racist, we must educate ourselves on the matter at hand, and confront these societal issues on a daily basis. 

We must all step up if we want things to change – and that starts with supporting the incredible anti-racism organisations and charities working with communities and official bodies to make long-lasting, systemic change. Below, we’ve included a list of brilliant anti-racist organisations that you can support, amplify and champion, starting today. 

Black Lives Matter UK

Black Lives Matter UK is the official UK chapter of the global Black Lives Matter movement. Their mission, as stated on the official Black Lives Matter website, is “to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes”.

Show Racism The Red Card

Show Racism The Red Card is an anti-racist educational charity providing workshops, training sessions, multimedia packages and a whole host of other resources to tackle racism throughout society. You can support the charity in a variety of ways, including making a donation or volunteering.

Runnymede

Runnymede is the UK’s leading independent race equality think tank, which challenges race inequality in Britain through research, network building, leading debates and policy engagement. A donation to Runnymede will help them to continue conducting research and engaging with policy makers to make long lasting change.

Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust

The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust was set up in the light of Stephen Lawrence’s murder in a racist attack in 1993. The charity works with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds aged 13-30 to inspire and enable them to succeed in the career of their choice, in the hope that the UK will become a place where everyone has the opportunity to achieve.

Stand Up To Racism

Stand Up To Racism is a nationwide movement which aims to tackle the influx of discriminatory rhetoric across the world and demand a society where racism is no more. Over the last week the group have held solidarity protests in light of George Floyd’s murder. Alongside making a one-off donation, you can pay to be a member of the Stand Up To Racism movement, which will help the charity to plan ahead and co-ordinate bigger anti-racist initiatives. 

Southall Black Sisters

Southall Black Sisters work to highlight and challenge all forms of gender-based violence against women, primarily working to support the needs of black Asian and African-Carribean women experiencing violence, abuse and others forms of inequality. 

SARI Stand Against Racism and Inequality

SARI is a charity which provides support for victims of hate crime, including those subjected to racist attacks. Alongside providing ongoing support to people who have experienced hate crime, the charity also engages with businesses and organisations to provide equality training and education.

Image: Getty

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