Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation

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For the broader social movement utilizing the "Black Lives Matter" slogan, see Black Lives Matter.
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
Official logo depicting name in black capital letters on yellow background with "LIVES" color inverted
Formation2013
Founders
  • Alicia Garza
  • Patrisse Cullors
  • Opal Tometi
TypeActivist organization
Purpose
  • Advocacy and protests against racial discrimination[1]
  • Government lobbying[2][3]
Location
  • International, largely in the United States
Key people
  • Patrisse Cullors (ex-executive director)
  • Monifa Bandele (interim senior executive)
  • Makani Themba (interim senior executive)
WebsiteOfficial website

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGN or BLMGNF)[a] is a decentralized organization with multiple chapters based in various cities dedicated to organizing and continuing activist activities in the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization formally has no leader and most chapters act autonomously, although efforts starting in late 2020 by Executive Director Patrisse Cullors have begun to centralize its operations.[6][7] The organization is often mistaken for other organizations in the Black Lives Matter movement because it often solely employs the phrase "Black Lives Matter" as its name and owns the domain name "blacklivesmatter.com" as its official website.[8] While the BLMGN often simply calls itself "Black Lives Matter" it is not the sole organization within the broader Black Lives Matter social movement.[9]

The organization was founded in 2013 by three female activists and currently serves as a loose network of activists within the Black Lives Matter movement.[10] The organization is international and advocates for the eradication of systematic racism and to prevent police violence.[11]

Organization[]

The organization exists as a decentralized international network of local-based chapters. According to its website there exist over 40 chapters worldwide.[12] Each local chapter is expected to embrace the set principals of BLMGN but is allowed to organize internally however they please. Each chapter can form their own agendas with some being more radical than others. Local chapters are mostly funded via direct donations but can also apply for more funding from the BLMGN.[citation needed]

Initially created by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, Garza and Tometi have since left the organization,[7] although they still speak at events and are in contact with Cullors.[13]

On October 9, 2020, two new BLM organizations were announced to the public: Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee (BLM PAC), and BLM Grassroots. Under this new organizational structure, BLMGN is to serve as the "fundraising body, grantmaking entity, amplifier, and action-oriented think tank of the movement," while BLM Grassroots will continue the actions of its chapters and BLM PAC will push for change politically.[6] In November 2020, sole BLMGN board member Patrisse Cullors was appointed executive director of BLMGN.[5]

The BLMGN itself is funded by donations and grants through the Black Lives Matter Support Fund, which is hosted on the donation platform Tides as of July 2, 2020. According to Tides, BLMGN made the move after its previous fiscal sponsor, Thousand Currents, decided to sunset fiscal sponsorships to focus on its core grantmaking work.[14]

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is a member of the coalition organization Movement for Black Lives.[15]

Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee[]

In 2015, an unaffiliated PAC entitled "Black Lives Matter PAC LLC" was established by St. Louis based activists. Alicia Garza stated that the PAC was in no way endorsed by BLMGN and that BLM was not interested in endorsing political candidates.[16] When the Democratic National Committee adopted a resolution in solidarity with the movement in late August 2015 specifically mentioning BLMGN's founders, a statement from the BLMGN Facebook page stated that "[w]e do not now, nor have we ever, endorsed or affiliated with the Democratic Party, or with any party. The Democratic Party, like the Republican and all political parties, have historically attempted to control or contain black people’s efforts to liberate ourselves. True change requires real struggle, and that struggle will be in the streets and led by the people, not by a political party."[17]

After the departure of Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, remaining BLMGN founder Patrisse Cullors announced the creation of the first BLMGN-sponsored political action committee, the Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee, in the October 9, 2020, "2020 Impact Report" document. The move was noted as being unusual for a grassroots movement with no central leadership.[3] Since its founding as a Super-PAC, BLM PAC has notably supported Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff during the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia and 2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia, respectively.[2]

Black Lives Matter Grassroots[]

Black Lives Matter Grassroots was announced simultaneously with the BLM PAC on October 9, 2020, in the "2020 Impact Report" document. It seeks to retain the original BLM movement's origins and unify its many chapters under the new BLM Grassroots name. It pushes for more unified, targeted stances on various issues impacting the black community, along with social and economic justice in general.[6]

History[]

Formation[]

After the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, activist Alicia Garza woke up in the middle of the night crying and decided to write about her emotions in a Facebook post. In the post, Garza commented she was surprised "at how little Black lives matter". The post would inspire Garza's friend Patrisse Cullors to create the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on July 15, 2013.[18] Garza and Cullors would reach out to their associate Opal Tometi to help establish Tumblr and Twitter accounts using the hashtag and where users could share relevant personal stories. Garza put the "Black Lives Matter" slogan on signs and displayed them in a local shoe shop. Cullors led a march down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with the slogan on her sign. Eventually, the slogan and hashtag would gain popularity.[19]

The first chapter for the BLMGN organization would be organized in Los Angeles in 2013 with the help of Melina Abdullah. The first chapter would consist of 30 people, notably artists, students, organizers, and mothers.[20]

By August 31, 2015, BLMGN claimed 26 chapters nationwide.[17]

On September 6, 2016, the International Development Exchange (IDEX, now known as Thousand Currents) announced a new partnership in which IDEX provided "fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to BLM." As a 501(c)(3) organization, IDEX could receive tax-deductible grants, donations and gifts on behalf of BLM. The announcement highlighted providing "learning exchange and alliance building opportunities" between the 'BLM Network' and IDEX's partners in Africa. At this time, IDEX stated BLMGN had 37 chapters within the US and 5 outside.[21]

Activities[]

During 2014 protests in Ferguson Garza, Cullors, and Tometi organized "Freedom Rides" to Ferguson. 500 people would sign up and travel to Ferguson in these "Freedom Rides". Protesters throughout Ferguson would adopt the slogan "Black Lives Matter" throughout the months-long protests.[19] The organization's involvement in protests in Ferguson and the slogan's popularity brought the organization and the Black Lives Matter movement to national attention. New found popularity sparked a rise of other Black Lives Matter organizations that were independent of the BLMGN, as well as new chapters of the BLMGN forming in other cities.[22]

After the killing of George Floyd and later protests many people tried to donate money to the BLMGN but often accidentally donated money to a similarly named organization called the "Black Lives Matter Foundation".[23] The BLMGN would itself receive around 1.1 million donations averaging about $33 each after the killing of George Floyd. The BLMGN would soon create a 12 million dollar fund to aid its local chapters activities and other independent grassroots organizations.[24]

BLMGN claimed $90 million in donations for 2020,[6] with an end-year balance of $60 million.[25]BLMGN wanted to scale their activity in proportion to their incoming finances, leading to $21.7 million in grants to Black Lives Matter chapters and other POC-led activist groups.[26]

On May 27, 2021, Patrisse Cullors announced she was stepping down from her role as executive director of BLMGN to focus on the upcoming release of her second book and multi-year TV development deal with Warner Bros. Two new interim senior executives were brought aboard to steer the organization for the immediate future: Monifa Bandele, a longtime BLM organizer and founder of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement in New York City, and Makani Themba, an early backer of the BLM movement and chief strategist at Higher Ground Change Strategies in Jackson, Mississippi. The move came amidst controversy over Patrisse Cullors' recent purchases of real estate, the foundation's finances, and her personal wealth. Cullors' claimed that the controversy was an attempt to discredit her character.[25]

Criticism and disputes[]

Founder statements[]

The foundation's success and global reach have elicited some scrutiny of its statements. Founder Patrisse Cullors stated she and co-founder Garza were "trained Marxists" in a 2015 interview that resurfaced in 2020.[27] This alarmed conservatives like Ben Carson, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Levin, and others.[27] However, there is no single definitive Marxist theory, and the group's support of gender identity politics sets it apart from historical Marxism-Leninism.[27] Despite its alleged deviation from historical Marxism-Leninism, the organization praised the Marxist-Leninist dictatorship of Cuba for its asylum of the American domestic terrorist Assata Shakur and its support for African Communist dictatorships.[28] This support was issued during the police crackdown on the 2021 Cuban protests, generating outrage at a potential hypocrisy between the organization fighting police brutality at home and supporting it abroad.[29] Miriyam Aouragh, a lecturer at the London-based Westminster School of Media and Communications said "I am fairly convinced these are mostly attempts to smear anti-racist activists. I think in some media, ‘Marxist’ is dog-whistle for something horrible, like ‘Nazi’, and thus enables to delegitimize/dehumanize them."[27] Also controversial was BLMGN's call to "defund the police."[6]

Another statement that alarmed[30][31][32] conservatives and libertarians was a note on the foundation's list of beliefs regarding disrupting the nuclear family. It was removed from the foundation's website in 2020:

"We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable."[27]

On April 6, 2015, while speaking as a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School's 'Globalizing Ferguson: Radicalized Policing and International Violence' forum,[33] Patrisse Cullors stated her opinion that people must "end the imperialist project that's called Israel:"[34]

"Palestine is our generation’s South Africa. If we don’t step up boldly and courageously to end the imperialist project that’s called Israel, we’re doomed."[34]

Thousand Currents partnership[]

The foundation has been criticized for its partnership with the grantmaking organization Thousand Currents, whose vice-chair is Susan Rosenberg.[35] As of June 25, 2020, Thousand Currents deleted its listing of Rosenberg's biography along with its entire board of directors webpage.[36] According to Tides as of July 2, 2020, Thousand Currents decided to sunset its fiscal sponsorship of BLM to focus on its core grantmaking activities.[14]

Financial criticism[]

BLMGN Chapter statement[]

On November 30, 2020, ten BLMGN chapters filed a joint statement demanding greater "financial transparency, decision making and accountability" from the main BLMGN organization.[5] The authors disputed sole BLMGN board member Patrisse Cullors' appointment as executive director "without the knowledge of the majority of Black Lives Matters chapters across the country and world." The statement went on to criticize the creation of the Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee, and BLM Grassroots, which the authors allege also occurred without their knowledge. In particular, the statement accused BLM Grassroots as having "effectively separated the majority of chapters from BLMGN without their consent and interrupted the active process of accountability that was being established by those chapters."[5][4]

The authors further stated that "[f]or years there has been inquiry regarding the financial operations of BLMGN and no acceptable process of either public or internal transparency about the unknown millions of dollars donated to BLMGN, which has certainly increased during this time of pandemic and rebellion." The statement claimed that the 12 million dollar grant BLM announced in July 2020 offering chapters up to $500,000 was not equitable,[24] as the money was raised from the organizing abilities of the chapters themselves and did not include the millions donated to BLMGN from other sources.[5]

According to Politico, chapter members had brought up their grievances about a lack of funding as early as 2016, and had prepared to go public a few months prior to the statement's reveal in November 2020. Chapters were encouraged to wait and discuss matters with Cullors privately, which members claim did not go well after they were not allowed to ask questions. Cullors has responded to the accusations stating that the ten chapters were "not formally affiliated with the global network" and were looking for credibility and money.[7] The 2020 Impact Report announced that eleven BLM chapters would no longer be part of the movement, some of them having previously signed onto the statement. These chapters included: Boston; Canada; Chicago; DC; Denver; Detroit; Lansing; Memphis; Philadelphia; South Bend; and Nashville.[6]

As of June 3, 2021, members of the chapter statement and others that have publicly criticized the group's funding and transparency go by the hashtag "#BLM10" and are represented by Rev. T. Sheri Dickinson of the Oklahoma City BLM chapter. According to Dickinson, "I know some of (the families) are feeling exploited, their pain exploited, and that’s not something that I ever want to be affiliated with." Cullors has responded that BLMGN does financially support families without making public announcements or disclosing dollar amounts.[25]

Real estate and salary dispute[]

On May 30, 2021, Patrisse Cullors announced she was stepping down as executive director to focus on her upcoming book and TV-show development deal with Warner Bros. and that such a decision had been in the works for over a year prior. The announcement came amidst a report in the New York Post claiming that Cullors had bought four luxury homes in the Los Angeles and Atlanta area during her time as executive director of BLMGN. The AP News and USA Today announced that such claims were misleading. While public records showed Cullors did indeed buy three properties; two in Los Angeles and one in Atlanta during her time within BLMGN; no evidence has been presented that such properties were acquired through funds donated to BLMGN itself. Furthermore, no evidence has been found that the fourth property was a $1.4 million home in Topanga Canyon bought on March 30 through a limited liability company. In response to the allegations, Cullors claims that "as a registered 501c3, BLMGNF cannot and did not commit any organizational resources toward the purchase of my personal property," and that she has only received $120,000 from the organization since 2013 for being a spokesperson and for 'political education work,' and that she hasn't been paid since 2019. As for her other sources of income, Cullors stated that she had two previous book deals including a New York Times best-selling memoir, is a public speaker, owns a gallery, has a deal with YouTube, and teaches at a private liberal arts college in Arizona.[25][37]

Accolades[]

In 2021, the foundation won the Olof Palme Prize for "promoting 'peaceful civil disobedience against police brutality and racial violence' across the globe" and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.[38]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Media organizations and BLM chapters refer to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation as BLMGN, not BLMGNF.[4][5] However, the 2020 Impact Report refers to the movement as BLMGNF, despite earlier publications.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ "About". Black Lives Matter. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "BLACK LIVES MATTER PAC". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b King, Maya (October 9, 2020). "Black Lives Matter launches a political action committee". Politico. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Folley, Aris (December 3, 2020). "Local Black Lives Matter chapters express concerns with global network in joint message after recent moves". The Hill. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Statement From the Frontlines of BLM - It is Time for Accountability". BLM Chapter Statement. November 30, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "2020 Impact Report". Black Lives Matter. October 9, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c King, Maya (December 10, 2020). "Black Lives Matter power grab sets off internal revolt". Politico. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Evans, Erica (August 1, 2020). "The hashtag, the movement and the groups: Understanding Black Lives Matter". Deseret News. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Luibrand, Shannon (August 7, 2015). "Black Lives Matter: How the events in Ferguson sparked a movement in America". CBS News. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  10. ^ Barron-Lopez, Laura (July 22, 2020). "Why the Black Lives Matter movement doesn't want a singular leader". Politico. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "Statement by Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in Response to Trump's "Stand back, Stand by" Debate Comment". St. Louis American. July 22, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "Herstory". Black Lives Matter. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  13. ^ Mahdawi, Arwa (October 17, 2020). "Black Lives Matter's Alicia Garza: 'Leadership today doesn't look like Martin Luther King'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Tides Welcomes Black Lives Matter As A New Partner". Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  15. ^ McFadden, Syreeta (September 3, 2020). "Why the Black Lives Matter movement doesn't want a singular leader". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  16. ^ Rankin, Kenrya (October 16, 2015). "There is a Black Lives Matter PAC—But It's Not Affiliated with the Movement". Colorlines. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Gambino, Lauren (August 31, 2015). "Black Lives Matter network disavows political ties after DNC backs movement". The Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  18. ^ "How Black Lives Matter went from a hashtag to a global rallying cry". CNN. October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Day, Elizabeth (July 19, 2015). "#BlackLivesMatter: the birth of a new civil rights movement". The Guardian. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  20. ^ Maqbool, Aleem (July 9, 2020). "Black Lives Matter: From social media post to global movement". BBC. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "IDEX and Black Lives Matter announce global partnership". Thousand Currents. September 6, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  22. ^ Ransby, Barbara (2018). Making All Black Lives Matter Reimagining Freedom in the Twenty-First Century. University of California Press.
  23. ^ Albrecht, Leslie (July 6, 202o). "People donated millions of dollars to the wrong Black Lives Matter foundation — read this before you give to any charity". MarketWatch. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b Morrison, Aaron (June 18, 2020). "Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation establishes $12M grant fund". USA Today. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Morrison, Aaron (May 27, 2021). "BLM's Patrisse Cullors to step down from movement foundation". AP News. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  26. ^ "AP Exclusive: Black Lives Matter opens up about its finances". AP NEWS. April 20, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Kertscher, Tom (June 15, 2020). "Is Black Lives Matter a Marxist movement?". The Poynter Institute: Politifact.
  28. ^ DeMarche, Edmund (July 15, 2021). "Black Lives Matter blames US, praises Cuban regime, social media erupts". Fox News.
  29. ^ Geraghty, Jim (July 15, 2021). "Black Lives Matter: Actually, That Kind of Police Brutality and Abuse Is Fine". National Review.
  30. ^ Freeman, James (July 23, 2020). "Opinion:Black Lives Matter and the Family". Wall Street Journal.
  31. ^ Matthews, Lipton (July 2, 2020). "Black Lives Matter Opposes Two Huge Forces For Black Success: Family And Capitalism". The Federalist.
  32. ^ Gonzalez, Mike. "The agenda of Black Lives Matter is far different from the slogan". New York Post.
  33. ^ "Monday, April 6: "Globalizing Ferguson: Racialized Policing and International Resistance"". Harvard Law. April 4, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b Kugle, Andrew (May 31, 2021). "BLM cofounder called for the end of Israel in 2015". Fox News. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  35. ^ "Did a 'Convicted Terrorist' Sit on the Board of a BLM Funding Body?". Snopes. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  36. ^ "Board of Directors". Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2021.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  37. ^ Rouan, Rick (April 19, 2021). "Fact check: Missing context in claim about Black Lives Matter co-founder's property purchases". USA Today. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  38. ^ "Black Lives Matter foundation wins Swedish human rights prize". BBC News. January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
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