Why did we run a marathon in support of APTP?
Written by Maya Moorthy
Youth Organizer
“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.”
– John Lewis
A child, peeking out of the sunroof of a car from the waist up, raises their fist into the air (Original photo by Brooke Anderson / @movementphotographer)
In June, my friends and I decided that we would walk a marathon to raise money for APTP and we ended up raising $5,214!
The tragic death of George Floyd had just occurred and protests were being held all over the U.S in support of BLM, including our city of San Francisco. Since racial justice is such an important matter, we felt as though we needed to do something. No matter how little that something was, we needed to take action. We brainstormed lots of ideas. We chose to walk a marathon because we thought it would be an effective way to raise money.
By far the hardest aspect when planning the marathon was not the route, but which organization the money raised would go to. After much research, we found APTP - a unique organization, focused on helping the impacted families of police brutality as well as reforming the ways of the Oakland police. We were touched to learn that APTP provided resources, legal referrals, as well as other opportunities, to the afflicted families. Though this issue is national, we wanted to make a local impact. Working to help families impacted by police brutality as well as reforming the Oakland Police fit the bill perfectly.
After incidents of police terror, impacted families are rarely talked about or supported. They may receive condolences from people, but these families lost loved ones for cruel and unjust reasons. They are the collateral damage of police brutality. Yes, sympathy and compassion are nice, but families need much more than that. Providing both resources and referrals helps these families move forward. That is why we chose APTP. What better organization could we have chosen?
Tips for Young Activists
Many young people would like to stand up for a cause that they believe in but don’t know what to do or how to even begin. Going into it, we had no idea what we were in for, but that’s okay! You can do anything from placing posters around your neighborhood to raising money for an organization like we did. In both cases you are helping in some way, big or small. What you do doesn’t need to capture the attention of the nation or the world, like Greta Thunberg. Yes, what she did was amazing, but know that you are still making an impact and every step in the right direction counts.
One thing we found crucial when we wanted to raise money was to get others involved in order to spread awareness. In our case, we created a Go Fund Me campaign. In it, we wrote a description of what APTP was about, so that our family and friends knew what they were donating money for. Yes, it can be as small as that! The seventy one donors now know more about APTP. Who knows, they may even get inspired to raise money like we did or even become a volunteer.
You also must plan and consider the impact of what you might do. Planning is very critical. Make sure you figure out dates, locations or whatever you need to do in order to have everything prepared. Before you begin, think about what impact it will make. Ask yourself, what ways is it helping me advocate for my beliefs?
No matter what you do, you are making an impact in some way. Taking a stand is the first step, remember that. As John Lewis once said, when you see something that is not right, you have to do something.