Dear AOIRers, I wanted to ask this great list a question for our times. See the message below from a student I taught in an online social media and society course, in which we had a module on #BlackLivesMatter. Can you think of a better way to respond than just with a list of campus groups and a note that I was impressed that she wanted to commit to activism for her beliefs? That's what I did, but I'd like to help a bit more because it's heartening both to see students wanting to put their scholarship into action. Thanks in advance. BTW, I asked her if I could ask the list and she said that was great. Here is her message: As a young black woman, I am struggling to cope with all that is happening in our country right now. Looking at social media I am further saddened to see images of Black men being murdered and their deaths reposted and reposted for all to see. I fear people will become desensitized to these images and names like George Floyd will just become another hashtag and forgotten victim of a corrupt system. *... I was wondering if you had any advice or resources for action beyond social media. I know the Black Lives Matter module discussed the sort of "wind tunnels" we create where like-minded people swirl ideas among mutual followers, but little action is taken beyond likes and retweets. I want to do something that goes beyond liking a post or ranting about it on Twitter. If you have any ideas or resources regarding the potential to leverage social media for positive social change I'd love to learn more about them!* Sarah Oates Professor and Senior Scholar Philip Merrill College of Journalism University of Maryland College Park, MD 20457 Email: soates@umd.edu Phone: 301 455 2332 www.media-politics.com Twitter: @media_politics *Support the UMD Student Crisis Fund <https://giving.umd.edu/giving/showPage.php?name=crisis-funding> today. *