With you in solidarity.

Hi writers,

The past many days have seen extraordinary protests across the United States and around the world in support of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, and so many more unarmed Black Americans who are killed by police officers, without immediate and meaningful justice.

We’ve sent a couple of messages that have included anti-racist books and reading lists and suggested organizations that could use your donations right now. We’ll include a few more links below.

We’ve gotten some questions from writers in our community who ask why we’re getting involved here, even in our small way.

We’re involved because we love and care about Black people.

We’re involved because we want to help remove all obstacles to writing creatively, meaningfully, and joyfully. Time, money, and energy are obstacles for all writers that we talk about all the time, and white supremacy, racism, and bigotry make these obstacles loom even larger.

We’re involved because we feel a responsibility to challenge our own assumptions and learn more about white supremacy culture and anti-Blackness in the United States, past and present, so that we can avoid further contributing to those legacies.

Our mission statement includes the goal to create a better, more creative world. Thank you for bringing all of your imagination, perseverance, and empathy as we work together to try to do that. We love you very much.

—The NaNoWriMo Staff

ResourcesIf you’re able, you could donate to the Black Visions Collective, or the Louisville Community Bail Fund. Reclaim the Block, a Minneapolis-based community organization, is maintaining a list of organizations in Minneapolis you may want to support here.

Autostraddle also has a list of bail funds by state, or you can make a donation to be split across 70+ bail funds here.

A group of authors, including many who have participated in or partnered with NaNoWriMo over the years, is holding a virtual #KidLit Rally for Black Lives on Thursday, June 4, at 7 PM ET. The rally will be led by Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, and Jacqueline Woodson.

The End of Policing is a book about the history of modern policing, how it currently functions, and potential alternatives to help create safe and just communities. It’s being offered for free as an ebook by Verso Books.

Here’s a list of books you can buy to learn more about racism. If you buy here, Bookshop will donate additional funds to the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and the family of George Floyd.

One of our Wrimos, Rachel Werner, reached out to share that she’s offering a class this June called “Reading—and Writing—Diverse KidLit & YA” if you’re interested.

We’ve loved working with many writing-related organizations led and staffed by Black people and other people of color. Check out We Need Diverse Books, POC in Publishing, and Writing With Color.

If you’re a parent, here’s are some suggestions and books to start conversations with your children around race and protest. Here’s another great list of children’s books from EmbraceRace. The Brown Bookshelf has also kicked off their summer reading initiative, Generations Book Club.