The Advisory Board of the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship stands in solidarity with Black communities in medieval and early modern studies, in the United States, and around the world. We support #BlackLivesMatter and #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd, and we decry the structural racism and white supremacist and patriarchal foundations that continue to enable state-sanctioned murder of Black people by police and by extrajudical violence.
As an intersectional feminist organization committed to racial and gender justice, we recognize that Black women are too often left out of the national and international conversations on racism and police murder. We #SayHerName and demand justice for Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, Tanisha Anderson, Sarah Reed, and the many more women of color killed by police. Just as importantly, we honor the memories of and demand justice for Tony McDade and the many more queer and trans Black people killed by police. #TransBlackLivesMatter.
We stand in solidarity with the protestors, and we encourage everyone to read this statement by the Medievalists of Color (MOC) and to support bail funds that MOC has endorsed. https://medievalistsofcolor.com/statements/medievalists-of-color-statement-regarding-the-violent-murder-of-george-floyd-breonna-taylor-tony-mcdade/
As individuals, the waged Advisory Board members of SMFS have contributed to local and national bail funds and Black Lives Matter funds listed below. We urge all waged members of SMFS to similarly make contributions to these or similar funds.
As an organization, SMFS is donating $300.00 each to Black Lives Matter, the Trans Women of Color Collective, and SUSU: A Black Feminist Giving Circle, to support Black women and Black trans people, who collectively experience combined oppressions of anti-Black racism, misogyny, and transphobia, among a host of interrelated structural injustices.
As an organization, we have established a new grant program for BIPOC medieval scholars who work at the intersections of racial and gender justice, the details of which are forthcoming.
Organizations to support:
Black Lives Matter: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-for-black-lives-matter.html
Black Lives Matter UK: https://www.blacklivesmatter.uk
Black Queer and Trans Communities: https://www.thecut.com/2020/06/ways-you-can-support-the-black-lgbtq-community.html
Susu: A Black Feminist Giving Circle: https://www.blackfeministsusu.com/
Black Women and Girls: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/NzU4MzM=
