are you a non-Black grad student who believes Black lives matter and wants to help, like me? here are a few things you could do with the relative privilege you have:

first, a disclaimer: I wrote this because the burden shouldn't be on Black folks to tell the rest of us what to do. I compiled these from some personal experience and lots of listening to others, and I happily welcome any edits/corrections/call outs or additional suggestions

1) as @That_Astro_Chic said: CHECK IN on your Black students, peers, and friends. let them know you're here and you care and you value their humanity. ask what else they need

2) listen to Black voices speak and write about these events and our white supremacist culture more generally. educate yourself

3) put BLM stickers on your laptops, water bottles, etc. drink out of a BLM mug during a zoom meeting. don't do it for ally cookies, do it to demonstrate to others that you aren't ignoring this and that they shouldn't either

(an obvious one)
4) donate what you can to the minnesota freedom fund and to the many other funds that have been shared, e.g. for bailouts. if you're like me, you have a stable income right now and can afford to do so

5) stand up to any instances of racism, especially anti-Black racism, in your department, especially when it's really uncomfortable to do so. I promise it's less so for you than for those who are targeted by them

6) establish a journal club to discuss social justice issues with people in your department, if you can reach a quorum to do so. don't put the pressure on marginalized folks to lead discussions, and don't shy away from difficult conversations

7) find out what you can do locally to give to Black communities, in a way they actually need. for me, that means teaching in the state prison system, where Black people are dramatically over-represented. what does it look like for you?

8) promote the work of your Black peers. amplify Black voices on social media. use whatever platform you have to elevate others

9) support Black artists. buy their work if you can afford it, share it if you can't

10) DON'T do all this temporarily, while the white supremacy and anti-Blackness of our society are especially visible, because this isn't new and it isn't going away without a continued commitment and actively anti-racist stance from all of us