'We come for our own': How Black volunteers rallied online to help African students in Ukraine

Key Facts

(CNN Business)After some of the hundreds of Black students stranded in the besieged city of Sumy, Ukraine, released desperate pleas for help on social media earlier this month, a grassroots group of volunteers sprang into action to help them safely evacuate the war zone.
Within about a week, the group was able to announce that, after the tireless advocacy work of its coalition and other volunteers, Red Cross buses had been dispatched to provide safe passage to "all Black students stranded in Sumy."
There are Clubhouse chatrooms and detailed Twitter threads that share updates about the situation on the ground; Telegram chats with resources for people on the frontlines; cryptocurrency and NFT-art donations to provide funds for those in need; and online petitions calling for action in aiding the Black residents of Ukraine.
The group vets financial requests for assistance via a Google Form on its website and then disperses the funds directly to the students and refugees trying to get out of Ukraine.