We condemn the murder of Black Americans at the hands of police.
In solidarity we join the calls for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and all those who have lost their lives to state-sanctioned violence and white supremacy.
We support those gathering in protest, in grief, in an unequivocal demand for systemic change.
The safety and well-being of our colleagues, friends, and family—including the Black writers, editors, teachers, students, librarians, and booksellers among us—depends on a collective commitment to dismantling racist practices, including those historically perpetuated in publishing.
Please consider giving to organizations—especially efforts led by Black and Indigenous community members, and other people of color—working for accountability and justice, as well as literary and arts organizations who lift up the vital work of Black writers.
Justice Organizations
- Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/
- Directory of National Bail Funds by state: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory
- The George Floyd Memorial Fund (created by the Floyd family): https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
- The Justice for Breonna Taylor Fund (created by the Taylor family): https://www.gofundme.com/f/9v4q2-justice-for-breonna-taylor
- The Equal Justice Initiative https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/about
Literary Organizations
- Cave Canem: https://cavecanempoets.org/
- Black Table Arts: http://www.blacktablearts.com/
- We Need Diverse Books: https://diversebooks.org/
- The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: https://secure.nypl.org/site/Donation2?7828.donation=form1&df_id=7828&mfc_pref=T&s_src=SCQXXZZ_QWLRB
- Black-owned bookstores around the country: https://aalbc.com/bookstores/list.php
Read Generously for Racial Equity
Beginning June 2020, the Press is dedicating 100% of our Read Generously program proceeds to racial equity initiatives. As our first step—with the help of readers like you—we raised over $6,000 for the national organization Black Lives Matter, in affirmation of Black lives and in condemnation of the murder of Black Americans at the hands of police. All Read Generously funds contributed through August 31st were donated directly to Black Lives Matter.
This fall, we are shifting the focus of our Read Generously program to support racial justice initiatives at Copper Canyon Press and in the field of publishing. The staff and board at Copper Canyon Press developed and are implementing our Racial Equity Work Plan that directly addresses racial inequities in publishing, specifically as they manifest at Copper Canyon. We seek to build a foundation from which we can model the proactive, intentional, and long-overdue work of dismantling white supremacy in our field and within our own house.
Comments or Questions? Please send your message to poetry@coppercanyonpress.org.