We condemn the murder of Black Americans at the hands of police.
In solidarity we join the calls for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and all those who have lost their lives to state-sanctioned violence and white supremacy.
We support those gathering in protest, in grief, in an unequivocal demand for systemic change.
The safety and well-being of our colleagues, friends, and family—including the Black writers, editors, teachers, students, librarians, and booksellers among us—depends on a collective commitment to dismantling racist practices, including those historically perpetuated in publishing.
Please consider giving to organizations—especially efforts led by Black and Indigenous community members, and other people of color—working for accountability and justice, as well as literary and arts organizations who lift up the vital work of Black writers.
Justice Organizations
- Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/
- Directory of National Bail Funds by state: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory
- The George Floyd Memorial Fund (created by the Floyd family): https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
- The Justice for Breonna Taylor Fund (created by the Taylor family): https://www.gofundme.com/f/9v4q2-justice-for-breonna-taylor
- The Equal Justice Initiative https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/about
Literary Organizations
- Cave Canem: https://cavecanempoets.org/
- Black Table Arts: http://www.blacktablearts.com/
- We Need Diverse Books: https://diversebooks.org/
- The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: https://secure.nypl.org/site/Donation2?7828.donation=form1&df_id=7828&mfc_pref=T&s_src=SCQXXZZ_QWLRB
- Black-owned bookstores around the country: https://aalbc.com/bookstores/list.php
Comments or Questions? Please send your message to poetry@coppercanyonpress.org.