silence is not an option

Everything feels wrong. You know what I'm talking about: there's a pandemic, mass unemployment, legislative gridlock, biased media, and now rioting and curfews across America. There's also the more insidious matter of systemic injustice: that our President proudly champions policies of voter suppression; that the core national curriculum does not include lessons on civic engagement or the history of lynchings; that apparently the law does not apply to you if you hold enough power.

Against this backdrop, I've been questioning my place in all of this. I'm hunkered down in rural Utah, running a tech startup that hasn't been all that disrupted by having to go remote. I have ample savings, and all my needs are taken care of. Even my investment portfolio and stocks are near all-time highs. It all felt so nihilistic to me: do I have a moral responsibility to take action? If I don't, then does anything really matter?

One thing I knew: I have privilege and resources. Yes, I worked for it. But that's in the past. The more important question to me is, what am I going to do with my privilege in the future? Only I am responsible for making decisions that align with my values. I believe that all people are created equal. I believe that no one should abuse their power for evil. I believe that education is the ultimate liberation. I also believe that silence and inaction are complicity.

I'm still educating myself on how to become a better ally and rally for social progress, but I thought I might as well start by tapping into my financial resources. On Monday, I challenged my friends to donate to causes supporting social and environmental justice, and offered to match all contributions up to $10k. An anonymous friend matched all of my donations as well. We raised $30k in under 5 days. In addition to raising money, my personal goal was to learn about the causes that my community cares about and help them leverage their impact.

When I first started this campaign, I didn't expect much because nothing felt like it would be enough - I felt hopeless bordering on nihilistic, and just wanted to do something, anything. I thought that all I had to offer at the moment was money. Since then, I've been humbled to see the campaign garner participation from college freshmen to international colleagues. We have supported four other matching campaigns, and inspired the start of two fresh ones (edit: now four). It's given my community an opportunity to connect on the causes that we care about, and made me realize the potential for any action to have a ripple effect.

This is just the beginning of my journey to use my privilege for good. I've already learned so much from this experience and am excited to be on this path with my community. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.

Campaign Summary
In total, 26 individuals made over 60 contributions to 33 organizations in the following areas. This is a brief (ineloquent) summary of what issues they hope to address, and why:

• Police & legal system reform
• Bail funds/Legal support: unaffordable cash bail is a major cause of mass incarceration and upends the presumption of innocent until proven guilty; statistical evidence shows that financial incentives are not necessary to ensure that people come back to court. Even if convicted, POC are likely to receive heavier sentences or be charged as an adult in the case of juvenile offenders. Local bail funds as well as the national revolving fund at The Bail Project and The Innocence Project are working to combat this issue.
• Police reform: Data science can help police departments implement policing interventions and re-think how policing is done. Advocates can also campaign for policy reform in areas like re-training, de-funding, or de-militarizing the police. The Center for Policing Equity, CampaignZero, NPAP, and EJI are doing work here.
• Civil rights litigation: US courts are based on past precedent. Winning lawsuits against the organizations and systems that violate our civil rights can bring about lasting reform. NAACP LDF and ACLU are key leaders here.
• Community organization & empowerment
• Education: Recidivism can be reduced with community support and job training. Children who have seen their parents become demoralized by the unfairness of the system can be empowered to advocate for themselves, and for change. Kapaernick's KYRC and Larkin Street Youth are active here.
• Community organization: Online and offline campaigns can be extremely effective to bring awareness to, and intervene in violence inflicted against marginalized communities. BLM Global Network is a good place to start. Color of Change and Collective Impact are also organizers. EFF promotes the digital free speech that enables this activism.
• Art & culture: Black culture is often the genesis for mainstream cultural elements, but it is appropriated without fair compensation. My own favorite music genre (EDM) is dominated by mostly white performers, despite its beginnings in Black culture. Support black artists.
• Health & services
• COVID-19 has disproportionately affected POC. Their fatality rates are nearly double the population share. They are more likely to be designated essential (and low wage) workers. They are more likely to suffer from pre-existing conditions like diabetes. They are more likely to live in dense, urban areas with high transmission and lack the financial means to leave. live free launched a humanitarian campaign this year.
• Mental health: POC are less likely to seek support for mental health due to the cultural stigma as well as a lack of financial resources. Most social support systems also stop providing services at age 18, resulting in people falling to the streets. Loveland Foundation, NAMI, and DBNO are all active here.
• Environmental justice: POC are are more likely to live near toxic facilities, flood zones, and highways. They disproportionately lack access to healthcare or insurance. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the injustice of money going to levees to protect White neighborhoods over Black ones. NRDC advocates for this.