Librarian
Welcome
Pratt Institute Libraries emphatically declare our opposition to the racial terror and systemic injustices that shape the lives of Black people in the United States. Black lives matter. We share the sorrow and outrage of our community and are in solidarity with protests against racism and police brutality. We grieve the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the countless other Black Americans who have lost their lives to racist and police-inflicted violence. We affirm our commitment to anti-racist practice and pledge to use our skills and resources to advance the production of and access to information for social and racial justice.
Though our Black Lives Matter guide offers eBooks, streaming films, zines, and other timely resources related to the Black Lives Matter movement, we recognize that many members of the Pratt community continue to take part in direct actions for racial justice in New York City and throughout the world. With this in mind, the Libraries have compiled resources related to informed protest, digital privacy, and knowing your rights. We hope this serves as a useful and illuminating guide to those members of Pratt Institute's community who are out on the streets demanding justice. For those unable to demonstrate in person, this guide also includes a range of digital actions to be taken in support of protests for Black lives.
Illustration by Chelsea Saunders in Answers to Your Protest Questions, published by The Nib on June 12, 2020.
General Resource Guides
This guide mainly offers resources specific to protest safety, digital privacy issues, and knowing your rights. However, we've also included a few resource guides that deal with the broader issues underlying this current moment, including COVID-19, police brutality, and movements for racial justice more generally.
- Digital Resources for Combating Police ViolenceCompiled by the digital art organization Rhizome, this resource provides information on web archiving, documenting protest, digital self-defense, as well as more general resources related to self-education and financial support.
- National Resource List: Advice for Protesting and Using Social MediaAn evolving spreadsheet related to social media use and digital surveillance in the context of civil unrest.
- COVID-19: Racial Equity and Social Justice ResourcesAn expansive resource created by the Racial Equity Institute, this document analyzes COVID-19's disproportionate impact on Black communities and offers tools and resources for organizing and healing our communities.
- The Radical DatabaseA vast directory of mutual aid funds, petitions, grassroots collectives, and initiatives and projects related to the Movement for Black Lives.
Informed Protest: What to Do Before, During, and After You've Hit the Streets
- From Beirut to Minneapolis: A Protest Guide in SolidarityCreated by activists in Lebanon in support of the protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, this guide offers a wealth of advice on protest safety, responding to non-lethal police force, and protecting your privacy.
- For Protestors Risking Exposure to COVID-19As a protester participating in direct action during COVID-19, how can you help to ensure that you don't spread the virus to vulnerable communities? And mutually, how can the chronically ill / disabled community provide aid from home? This guide addresses these and related questions.
- How to Protest Safely: What to Do, What to Bring, and What to AvoidAn outline of essential supplies, actions, and considerations to take before taking to the streets in support of Black lives.
- Street Medic Guide by Paper Revolution CollectiveStreet or action medics are volunteers with varying degrees of medical training who attend protests and demonstrations to provide medical care. Learn about the rich history of street medical care and prepare yourself to treat tear gas, pepper spray, heat illness, and other common protest-related injuries. Note: This guide is not a replacement for first aid or street medic training.
- Riot Medicine: A Free Manual for Practicing Insurrectionary MedicineThis eBook provides an overview of the knowledge needed to provide basic medical care during protests and civil unrest. Note: This resource is not a substitute for professional medical training; readers are strongly encouraged to supplement the knowledge from this book with outside resources and in consultation with trusted local experts.
- Caring for Ourselves as Political WarfareA collection of best practices, spiritual grounding exercises, and practical reminders to bring with you before, during, and after you hit the streets. "An offering of practices to restore us to ourselves."