Writing Black Lives Matter on my money has been something I’ve done for years. I even wrote it on Canadian dollars when I visited Toronto. If a person or business does not accept my Black Lives Matter dollars then it signals to me that I do not need to support that person/business. It’s pretty simple. Speak a language you’re sure they will understand. There are a handful of universal languages. They include love, music, math, and….money. Everyone is fluent in green.
Please note: “technically” it is legal to write on currency. You know what else is legal? Law enforcement killing Black people with impunity. So until they start prosecuting and sentencing those responsible for the killings of Black people like the crime it is, then they don’t need to worry about three powerful words written on the same piece of papers as “in god we trust”.
Tips for writing Black Lives Matter on your dollars:
1. Write on the border of the money, not on the face of the bill itself. Do not deface the bill to render it unfit to be reissued.
2. Use Black sharpie/marker as it stands out more and is harder to cover
3. Take note of any establishments that say they can not accept it
These are the small actions one can take to protest against the establishments that discriminate and oppress our people. Your white friend may say Black Lives Matter, but will they proudly pay for goods and services in a white establishment with BLM money? Will those white establishments that put out their generic “we support Black lives” message accept it? These small gestures are the moments of truth to expose just how deep the support for Black Lives goes.
Happy Tagging!