The Leader
Opinion

How to support Black Lives Matter as a broke college student

ALYSSA BUMP

Assistant Life & Arts Editor

The college lifestyle consists of stress, sleeping through classes and being broke.

Most college kids will owe thousands of dollars before turning 21. Not only are college students broke, but they are in debt.

So in a time like this, where money is necessary to fund a civil rights movement, how can college students aid in the fight against racism?

It seems that because college students already lack financial stability, they will be unable to help this cause financially.

However, thanks to the digital age, it is possible to donate money without actually having any. 

Here is a list of ways to donate to protester bail funds, families directly affected by police brutality and other forms of advocacy for the Black Lives Matter movement:

YouTube videos:

YouTube is known for having entertaining videos, but it also has the ability to raise money for Black Lives Matter. 

YouTube videos that are monetized and contain ads can make hundreds upon thousands of dollars. 

Thanks to this method of gaining revenue through posting videos, several creators are using this method to raise money for charities. 

In order to participate, you just have to click on these videos, refrain from skipping ads, have the volume turned up at least halfway and watch till the end of the video. 

Be sure to also disable ad-blockers if you have any activated for YouTube.

Additionally, some of these videos have art that was made entirely by black creators or were produced by black YouTubers. 

The following are just some videos I have found that donate their ad revenue, but there are several more out there that can be found under the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter, #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd and #GeorgeFloyd.

Videos that highlight black creators or are centered around equality, justice and racism:

Videos that are not centered around racism or the current injustices, but still donate to Black Lives Matter:

Apps:

There is a new app that is only available on the App Store called U-DON. 

It gives people resources to petitions, educational resources and information about protests. 

It also has a mini-game called Space Garbage that raises money through ad revenue. 

U-DON promises to donate 100 percent of their revenue to charities that support the national bail fund network and black-owned businesses that have been destroyed due to rioting. 

Rewards points:

American Express has recently partnered with JustGiving, a fundraising platform that focuses on aiding those affected by COVID-19, and donating to charities that directly support the Black Lives Matter movement.

This now allows people that have a consumer, business or corporate American Express card to donate their U.S. Membership Rewards.

Through this link, you can find out whether or not your card is eligible for donating points. 

To donate your points, just visit the AmEx JustGiving page

If you don’t have an American Express card, don’t worry; there are other options.

If you have Hilton Honors points, you can go through the online charity platform, PointWorthy, to support both national and local organizations. 

To donate, log into your Hilton Honors account, then select “Donate With Points,” which is located next to the gift card tab. 

Three thousand five hundred Hilton Honors points are equivalent to $10, which means each Hilton Honors point is valued around .3 cents.

Even if you don’t have money to donate, we all have time. 

During your spare time, aim to help an issue that is bigger than yourself.

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