BSU distributes mutual aid to Black students

By Taylor Nunley nunleyta@grinnell.edu

After multiple acts of racial harassment and vandalism directed towards Black students in October 2022, the Grinnell College Black Student Union (BSU) mobilized to create a mutual aid fund. The mutual aid fund — raised through GoFundMe — was organized in the hopes of alleviating monetary worries for Black students seeking resources following these incidents. On the week of Feb. 27, the BSU, partnered with the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement (Des Moines BLM), began distributing funds to students requesting them.

According to BSU Executive Cabinet members, the need for a mutual aid fund arose in response to inadequate funding the College provided to Black students who required emergency resources such as groceries or transportation for appointments. Compared to the College’s emergency fund, which a student can only request once per year and requires an explanation for requesting, the BSU’s mutual aid fund is less restrictive for students.