BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER
Our Demands in Michigan
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INVEST IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
We demand reinvestment in what our communities actually need -- safety infrastructures created with the community, quality health and wellness, educational opportunities, great jobs that support families, and good, affordable housing.
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BLM MICHIGAN PRIORITIES
DEMILITARIZE SCHOOLS
Black students say that police in schools do not make them feel safer and that they are racially profiled by police in schools.
Statistically, Black children are suspended, expelled and arrested at school at a much higher rate than their peers for similar infractions. Black children are more likely to experience violence at the hands of police in schools.
Black Lives Matter Michigan supports students, parents and teachers who are demanding fewer cops and more counselors in schools as well as curricula that promote student agency in shaping policy and systems to dismantle the school to prison pipeline.
POLITICAL EDUCATION
Election 20XX is an invitation, an incitement, a call-to-action to people in Michigan to educate yourself on the issues that will affect you and your family’s future. Examine critically every candidate, envision yourself as a leader, and to be engaged deeply in transforming systems at every level of political jurisdiction. Every election matters.
What seats must be won in our communities to ensure our leaders fight for our children’s education, for keeping us safe, and provide the public services that matter most?
BAIL REFORM
Black Lives Matter is a member of the Movement for Black Lives and the National Bailout Collective. One of our priorities is ending money bail so that Black people who have not been convicted of a crime are not confined in prison facilities because they cannot afford bail. Bail outs are a key component of our broader strategy to build the power of local organizations so they can implement community based support systems that replace cages.
Read: Why is ending money bail so important? Check out this New York Times article.
FLINT WATER CRISIS
Black Lives Matter Michigan stands with our friends and family in Flint in the ongoing fight for safe and clean drinking water.
People and organizations around the nation have stepped up where Governor Snyder and his administration have fallen ridiculously short in repairing the harm they caused during the state's emergency management of Flint. The State of Michigan owes Flint residents the dedication to deliver bottled water until pipes are replaced, trust is rebuilt and people have confidence that their drinking water is no longer poisoned.
Chapters
BLM Michigan is an official statewide chapter that is part of the national formation of chapters. BLM Michigan was created by BLM Lansing and we are building local chapters in other cities which now include Detroit, Flint, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Jackson, Port Huron, Washtenaw County, Saginaw, and Benton Harbor.
All local chapters must go through a statewide onboarding process as well as a national onboarding process. Currently, the only official BLM chapters in Michigan are Lansing and Detroit. Kalamazoo is renewing their national chapter status as they were part of the original national chapter formation in 2013.
BLACK LIVES MATTER MICHIGAN
Three Black women watched the funeral of Stephon Clark. We cried and then we began to strategize, launching Black Lives Matter Michigan to build capacity for collective action and show up for all of our Black family fighting for justice, dignity and for our lives.
JOIN
We welcome those who identify as Black to join BLM Michigan and local chapters. Please reach out to let us know you're interested, and we'll connect you to the next orientation.
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