#BLM B-town's 2019 Projects

​"Make the Right Call" Campaign
​
#BLM B-town is helping to help spread awareness about and to address an epidemic of harassment taking the form of unwarranted phone calls to the police concerning black people innocently occupying public spaces. Visit our page to learn about this rapidly growing form of racially motivated harassment and what you can do to prevent it. We will also be creating a call guide that will connect people directly with specific emergency services in crisis situations.

2019 Primary Candidate Questionnaire & Voter's Guide
​
Much like our 2018 primary and midterm Candidate Questionnaires and Candidate Voter's Guide, we will be evaluating primary candidates for Monroe County/Bloomington elections. We complete this work by sending ALL candidates our questionnaire, compiling their responses here for you to read, and creating an assessment sheet on the candidates based on their answers to our questions, providing you a quick reference for election day. More information as the primary season draws closer. 

Spring/Summer Necessity Drive
​
​​Continuing last year's successful Necessity Drive, BLM is collecting healthy, high-quality products for multiple non-profit organizations in Bloomington. The needs of our community change seasonally, and our periodic drives help local organizations meet the challenges they face everyday. These organizations will distribute these items to members of our community who need them. Visit our Necessities Drive page to find our Amazon Wishlist and make a donation. 

Groups we donate to:
Shalom Center
MiddleWay House
Project Pink Bloc
My Sister's Closet
ALL Options
Indiana Recovery Alliance
And more...

#BLM B-town's Juneteenth Block Party Celebration

#BLM B-town wants to invite you to truly celebrate Freedom Day with us on June 19th. We are planning a block party with music, food and homemade strawberry soda!

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It commemorates African American freedom, with an emphasis on education and achievement. Sometimes a day, a week, or even the entire month is marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection, rejoicing, assessment, self-improvement, and for planning the afro-future.

Our celebration of Juneteenth is a part of our community outreach and coalition initiatives. We seek to educate, engage and enjoy our town and community. 

​Police Oversight Committee

Black Lives Matter was founded to address racial bias in policing and police brutality against African Americans. Black Lives Matter Bloomington supports a number of programs encouraging police reform and oversight at the local level. We are building a taskforce to guide police reform in Bloomington as well as compile new public records of police encounters. These records include decades of research on intersectionality and policing in Monroe County. Visit our subcommittee page to learn more about these initiatives & how you can get involved.​

Education Oversight Committee
​
The statistics of racial bias in school systems are alarming, as are data about the school to prison pipeline. Black girls, in fact, experience the highest rates of classroom removal by the police, for problems as petty as hairstyle to talkativeness. The risks to Black students in our schools is clear. #BLM B-town is creating an oversight committee to sit in on MCCSC school board meetings, weigh in on curriculum, guide our local school systems, and in general work to create safer educational spaces for black and brown students. 

Black Families Bail Out and Court Watch Information

Black Lives Matter Bloomington is looking to partner with existing organizations to create a pool of resources for bailing out Black families and to support court watchers in addressing disproportionate arrests of black and brown people. We seek to bring their cases and causes to the public eye to provide families the support they need as they navigate the criminal justice system. 

Fundraising for #BLM events & philanthropy 

​#BLM B-town functions as a not-for-profit; while we are still in the process of acquiring that status officially, we take in NO money for ourselves, and we do fundraise for projects and programs we wish to see take shape. What we do raise goes directly to the work we are doing here in Bloomington and the world. We both partner with local organizations and groups to fundraise, but we also welcome direct contributions from the public. Click this link to find out how to donate to #BLM B-town and learn about where your money goes.