At Black Lives Matter Philly, we affirm that All Black Lives Matter EVERYWHERE. We stand in solidarity with our family in Nigeria and the #EndSARS movement against police brutality. We fully support the #EndSARS demands for the complete abolition of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigerian Police Force and an end to all forms of state violence against Nigerian people.
We lift up the countless number of Nigerians, who have been killed and harmed by SARS, which has been known to target youth, women, queer, trans, and gender non-conforming Nigerians, without consequence, since its founding under military rule in 1992.
We lift up the memory of the protesters, who have been killed in the recent #EndSARS protests, and we join our comrades in Nigeria in demanding the safety of all Nigerians, who are rising up to demand justice and accountability from their government.
We lift up and send encouragement to the youth, who are leading the #EndSARS struggle and refuse to be co-opted, fragmented, or to elevate any among them as the “leaders” of the movement. At Black Lives Matter Philly, we also subscribe to a leader-full struggle because “Strong people don’t need strong leaders,” as our beloved ancestor Ella Baker once said.
We lift up and send encouragement to the women who are on the frontlines of this movement. They remind us that there is no African liberation without the leadership of our sisters.
We lift up and send encouragement to our queer Nigerian family members, who we join in affirming that #QueerNigerianLivesMatter, too.
We call on our Black communities in the United States and around the world to stand in solidarity with our Nigerian family during their time of struggle, as they have stood with us in our political struggles.
Protests need support to thrive and you can support #EndSARS in a variety of ways:
(1) by educating yourself about what is going on in Nigeria and amplifying the organizing happening on the ground using the hashtag #ENDSARS, and
(2) by donating resources directly to support purchasing food, water, and masks, and providing first aid and bail support to protesters around Nigeria. We recommend donating to the Feminist Coalition (@feminist_co), which is distributing resources directly to protesters at www.feministcoalition2020.com.