As a white person, living in the UK, I wasn’t sure what I could do to lend solidarity to BAME people at this time. I’ve emailed politicians, signed petitions, donated what little of my own money I can, but I wanted to try to do more. As a creative person, one of the things I can do is make stuff, and especially during Pride season, as a queer maker I usually sell a decent amount of badges, stickers, etc.
So for June and July at least (possibly longer going forwards), I’m donating 50% of all sales to Black Visions Collective and Reclaim the Block. If you don’t particularly want to buy anything, please donate directly to them instead, but I thought that if people are buying things I’m making anyway, the least I can do is pass it on.
Please also do what you can to contact your local politicians and ask them what they’re doing to stop arms sales, stop police brutality, stop state-sponsored racism, and to show that Black Lives Matter.
I found this list of further actions we can take here.
There’s also plenty of lists online of black-owned businesses and creators you can support, including on Etsy.
I am hoping to update this website and add more as time goes on, so please do check back from time to time! I’m also on twitter @sniphist and on instagram @ggraingerart.
I also do commissioned artworks of landscapes, so if there is a particular place you would like interpreted in my quirky style, I would be happy to. At the minute, I will be requesting payment is donated to an organisation related to BLM, instead of to me. Happy to discuss options and possibilities via twitter or instagram, prices range from £15 for a postcard-size simple-ish design, and you get the original and a high resolution scan. If it is a famous place, I may give a reduction in return for me being able to use it for future postcards.