Standing in Solidarity


 

Statement from the Bonner Foundation

 

Protests across the country and around the world have brought people together to express their pain and anger with the acts of police brutality, hate crimes and violence, and systemic racism affecting Black people and people of color in the United States. Bonded by our Common Commitments – social justice, diversity, community building, civic engagement, spiritual exploration, and international perspective – the Bonner Community acts on these ideals through our direct and sustained engagement in communities. Inspired by leaders before us, we carry out a shared vision of an anti-racist, inclusive, and just community.

 

The brutal deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others are just a few of the examples of racism and violence against Blacks in the United States and globe, and examples of white supremacy that must be dismantled. These incidents fuel anger, pain, rage, and fear in our own lives, which we courageously work to overcome and defeat everyday. As an organization committed to service, we pledge to do our part to recognize acts of injustice, cultivate an inclusive and anti-racist environment and institutions, and work to support and love one another. We will try hard to be the hope we need in the weeks, months, and years ahead of us. Bonner Love is inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These words represent the hopes and ideals of countless and diverse organizers, activists, and change makers who inspire our movement. The heroes we celebrate have been shaped, and supported, by countless people whose names have been forgotten.

 

We recognize that social change requires the investment, hope, and participation of people from all walks of life, perspectives, and approaches. Bonner Love represents a Beloved Community in which we, as individuals and as a community are judged by character – not appearance, race, ethnicity, class, income, gender, sexual preference, nationality, or other aspects of our identity. You are valued!

 

As we enter this week, and those beyond, take a moment for yourself and for those around you. Reflect on the people who have touched and have impacted you and your life, and whom you have impacted and touched. Remember, we are the Beloved Community. Celebrate and recognize your place and your contributions in a greater movement. As we deplore and work to fight against the inequity and injustice, let us look out for one another and embrace others in our community. Know that together we can and are bringing about a better, more just world. As you do this, be safe and take time for self-care. You are loved by the Bonner Community. B-Love!

 

May George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade rest in power. We also acknowledge all of the unnamed victims of racism and violence of the past and present. Let us continue in the fight for justice to create change so that black and brown people may live freely. Black Lives Matter. 

 

We hope our community will continue to pursue the important mission and values the Bonner program represents. It is our duty to continue to advocate for social justice in instances of injustice world wide. Below, please find resources for ways to get involved while continuing to socially distance. If you have additional resources to share, please let us know and we will do our best to share with our larger network. These resources offer a range of opportunities to get involved and take action from educating one’s self and people around us to donating, to signing petitions, working for policy change, and organizing for a cause

 

 

 

Robert Hackett, President

and the Bonner Foundation staff and summer interns

 

 

Resources to Take Action Against Police Brutality and Racism

 

Contents


Racial Justice Community Fund

 
The Bonner Foundation is announcing a community fund for students and faculty in the Bonner Network to support racial justice initiatives that address inequities and build bridges in their local communities. We are encouraging students to engage other Bonners on their campus, the 3,000 current students across our national network of 65 colleges and universities, and our 18,000+ Bonner alumni. We are asking faculty to incorporate social action into an existing or new course where students can learn and join or launch a social action campaign during the semester that addresses racial injustice. We are developing and will announce the guidelines for this new fund in the coming weeks. These funds will be in addition to existing funds available at endowed institutions in the network. Additionally, the 2020-2021 funds for Community-Engaged Learning may also connect with racial justice initiatives, such as coursework or new academic programs.

The Bonner Foundation staff and community of campuses will support these efforts with funding and also on-going training, resource development, and networking. Our goals with this funding are not only to launch new projects and courses that seek to address the immediate and long-standing challenges facing our country and communities, but also to build sustainable structures and support on campuses in our network that will continue this work for the long-term.

 

Accessing Bonner Community Funds on Your Campus

 

The majority of the Foundation funds (whether from endowments or other grants) are allocated to students’ financial aid and to funding the operations of campus-wide centers. Additionally, only a third of the institutions in our network have funds from the Foundation, and many support their programs through Work Study and other institutional funds. If your campus is an endowed Bonner Scholar or Leader Program, talk with your Director or Coordinator about how to create a proposal for using your Bonner Community Fund and/or Junior/Senior Leadership Fund for organizing, training, and supporting efforts within your community. Additional information about pools of Bonner funds can be found here.

 

8-Themes Curriculum - Module on Fundraising — Check out this training to learn more about crowd-source fundraising and to find platforms and help with this skill.

 

 

Questions To Facilitate Dialogue on College Campuses

 

 

 

Taking Action 

 

Here are some recommended links and places to take action.

 

Donate to Support Victims and Their Families

 

Visit https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#victims, which includes links to donate to: 

 

Donate to Organizations

 

 

 

Donate Your Time

 

This video project was created to offer people a way to contribute to #blacklivesmatter without having any actual money or going out to protest themselves. Investing in our future can be difficult for young people, so 100% of the advertisement revenue this video makes through AdSense will be donated to the associations that offer protester bail funds, help pay for family funerals, and advocacy listed in the beginning of the video. You could help by watching the video and sharing it with others. 

 

Sign Petitions

 

 

Contact Public Officials in Minneapolis and Other Areas

 

 

Support Social Action Campaigns

 

 

 

 Learn How to Advocate and Organize for Policy Reforms

 

 

Resources for Education (Self, Children, Family, Friends, etc.)

 

Training Materials and Other Resources for Anti-Bias Education

 

 

Resources for parents to raise anti-racist children

 

 

Working Document of Scaffolded Anti-Racism Resources

 

Articles to read

 

 

Videos to watch

 

 

Podcasts to subscribe to

 

 

Books to read

 

 

Films and TV series to watch

 

 

Organizations to follow on social media

 

 

Campus and Institutional Resources (Long Term and Systemic Change)

 

 

 

 

 

Sources