Want to support Black Lives Matter but not sure how? Start by donating to these organizations.
It’s a fact that stress can have far-reaching effects on a person’s overall health — from mental health challenges to physical symptoms.
And, well, experiencing a global pandemic, a recession, and a second civil rights movement all at once seems a pretty likely scenario to create stress in peoples’ lives.
Unfortunately, it’s also a fact that Black people experience higher rates of discrimination in seeking healthcare — they’re more likely to have their concerns dismissed by doctors, or have limited access to high quality healthcare and insurance coverage.
We believe it’s important for all people to get the care they need to feel well inside and out.
Here are our 10 favorite organizations that pick up the slack that the mainstream medical world may leave behind when it comes to Black patients.
Born out of the Therapy for Black Women and Girls program, The Loveland Foundation expands upon founder Rachel Cargle’s original idea by offering not just therapy, but employment opportunities and career development tools.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, especially if you come from a community that has faced grave societal challenges for centuries.
BEAM offers a multitude of programs and tools to ensure the overall emotional well-being of Black people: A virtual therapist network, programs specifically to help Black men address the effects of toxic masculinity, and regional talks and events.
Mental health is an important factor in overall health for everyone, but especially the Black community.
Black Mental Health Alliance offers not just mental health services, but culturally relevant ones — meaning it connects with traditions and issues specific to a certain culture. They also serve clinicians and mental health workers with training and workshops.
Founded by Colin Kaepernick, Know Your Rights Camp established “day camps” in seven cities across the world featuring programs that expand campers’ knowledge about issues facing diverse communities today.
The aim is to create a new, diverse generation of leaders who are motivated to make life more fair for people of all backgrounds.
A major part of recent protests involves calling for reforming policing in America. According to the research database Mapping Police Violence, Black people are 3 times more likely to be killed by police than white people.
From the National Lawyer’s Guild, NPAP protects Black lives by advocating for victims of police violence and misconduct and providing a directory of attorneys.
By Black women, for Black women, the Black Women’s Health Imperative provides public education on health issues that Black women face at a higher rate than the rest of the population, like prediabetes and fibroids.
Providing college programs and panel discussions, they’re based in D.C. for better access to the lawmakers that can make a direct difference.
Due to a multitude of circumstances — not living near a grocery store with a large selection, not living in a space with adequate kitchen facilities, or not being paid enough to afford top-notch ingredients — transgender and nonbinary people (especially those of color) often lack the resources to cook fresh, healthy meals.
The Okra Project bridges the gap by sending Black transgender chefs to houses to provide professionally-prepared meals to Black transgender folks experiencing food insecurity.
The Transgender, Gender Variant and Intergender Justice Project aims to bring attention to the human rights abuses that Black transgender folks face while incarcerated or when targeted by law enforcement.
By sponsoring legal advocacy, re-entry programs, and in-person events, they hope to change minds about the role of queer people of color in society.
In recent years, people as high-profile as Serena Williams have begun speaking up about the adversity facing Black parents during pre- and postnatal care, raising awareness of the fact that Black moms are 2 1/2 times more likely to die in childbirth or of pregnancy-related complications than white moms.
The Black Mamas Matter Alliance supplies care providers like doulas and midwives directly to Black mothers and parents, and provides programs to create space for Black leaders in the obstetrics world.
Getting fresh air is one of the last little pleasures afforded to those of us under shelter-in-place orders. GirlTrek is on a mission to get Black women and girls walking — for health, for fun, and in honor of civil rights leaders that changed the world by getting on their feet.
In addition to inspiring women to walk, they support initiatives designed to protect natural spaces in America and create safe places for Black citizens to take a walk or a run in peace.
Donate to these places now, or bookmark them for later — after the rush to open wallets in an act of solidarity has passed, they’ll still need donations to continue providing proper care.
Jody Amable is a freelance writer and editor from the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in music and subcultures. Her work has been seen in KQED Arts, Atlas Obscura, and local weeklies.