Since the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in police custody, on May 25, protests have filled the streets in cities across America, addressing the systemic racism and police brutality that have caused other recent African American deaths, such as the fatal shootings by police of Tony McDade and Breonna Taylor.
The protests have now spread to other cities across the world – including Toronto, where activists are responding to the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, who died as police were responding to a call in her home – and have left many onlookers and allies wondering how they can contribute.
One way to do so is to donate to organisations helping protesters and activists with resources and support – some are included in this list of anti-racism resources – but of course not everyone has the money to spare.
However, a new YouTube video allows you to earn funds for Black Lives Matter and other organisations that are supporting and providing bail for protesters amid the ongoing demonstrations, even if you don’t have any money to donate yourself.
The video uploaded by Zoe Amira May 30 is almost an hour long, featuring music, poetry, and art from black creatives, but the most important thing to watch is the adverts. Amira says she will be donating 100% of the ad revenue gained from the video to a selection of organisations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Distribution will be based on the organisations that need it most at the time.
Viewers just have to make sure they’ve got any ad blockers turned off and not to skip over the ads. A good way to boost the project’s visibility based on the YouTube algorithm is to also leave a like and a comment on the video.
Even if the video is then left on mute to play in another tab, it should raise money passively for the featured causes and organisations, which include American bail funds such as the Minnesota Freedom Fund, as well as Reclaim the Block, ACLU, and money-raising efforts for the families of George Floyd and Regis Korchinski-Paquet.
As of writing, the video is approaching three million views. Watch it here.