Musicians and other artists have been impacted both financially and emotionally by the coronavirus shutdown. Many of them have had to make significant adjustments to their lives and lifestyles, as well as to where and how they produce their art. Local jazz musician Elijah Jamal Balbed shares with Black Exchange how he has survived the shutdown and how the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests led him to rethink his priorities.

Right now protestors in Portland, OR are being occupied by unidentified and aggressive federal troops. Constitutional rights are being violated and innocent progressive people are experiencing violence and trauma while peacefully protesting racial and social injustice. How can we help?

Recently, many of my friends have reached out and asked where they should start. How can you join the conversation about racial and social justice in a real way? Here are three steps you can take right now within your workplaces and personal relationships.

Amadou Diallo life ended abruptly in 1999 when four NYPD police officers shot him FORTY-ONE TIMES while he stood in the doorway of his OWN apartment building. Unarmed and unproblematic.

Change.org is a for-profit company. Although the platform is huge and a great resource for collecting petition signatures, donations via the platform go directly to Change.org to promote the company.

As important as these issues are though, we mustn’t lose sight of another very real and ongoing problem—the Coronavirus and the devastation it’s wreaking on the African-American community.

Food deserts, the lack of access to healthy food and grocery stores, disproportionately affect Black communities. This is purposeful and systemic.

When you disregard and disrespect the experiences of black women, you are feeding the beast of white supremacy and patriarchy that will then turn around and swallow you whole.

We’ve seen the endearing videos and photos of Elijah, read what his last words were as he begged for his life, and have shared his story over and over again on our social media platforms. So, what’s next?

MPD will still receive $4 million more in their annual budget. This is a 3% increase and not a cut of any kind to the overall budget.

Not only are we managing our own narratives, but our narratives and stories are being used as evidence for change.