Black Lives Matter has evaded scrutiny for far too long - by Jawad Iqbal
Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 8:17 am
It is not racist to criticise or question the actions of the campaign group Black Lives Matter (BLM). This statement of the obvious needs to be made because, for many people, uncritical support for BLM is the only way to brandish their anti-racist credentials, somehow implying that anyone who doesn’t fall into line is guilty of racism. This has meant that valid and important questions about the organisation, including how much money has been raised and how it is spent, as well as the personal wealth of its leaders, have been deemed too dangerous to ask.
Newly released tax records filed by BLM show what happens when transparency is sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. BLM raised $90 million in 2020, the year of widespread racial justice protests over the police killing of George Floyd. It paid out just $26 million in grants to families and community groups.
It then went on a property spree, including buying a $6 million mansion in Los Angeles, complete with swimming pool, studio and office space.
Patrisse Cullors, the co-founder of BLM, who stepped down in May last year amid growing questions about her finances, has always denied any impropriety. She initially rebutted claims that she used the mansion for anything other than business. It later emerged that she had hosted private parties there. It has now been revealed that the father of her child was paid just under $1 million to help “produce live events” and other unspecified “creative services”. Her brother received more than $840,000 for providing security services.
The story of BLM that emerges from these belated financial disclosures is less one of racial justice, more that of a rudderless and leaderless organisation plagued by scandal and internal conflict. When Cullors resigned, no one seemed to be left in charge. According to its website, BLM now has a new leadership structure consisting of a board of three people.
It remains a mystery what it plans to do with the millions sitting in its bank accounts. Meanwhile, it continues to offer up laughable excuses for its failings: any request for total transparency apparently “makes BLM more vulnerable”, and delays in handing out funds are part of a wider project to “decolonise philanthropy”, whatever that means.
The suspicion remains that the reluctance early on to question the organisation’s record and performance stemmed from special treatment. People who should have known better were scared of being labelled racists by BLM supporters for asking tough questions. The consequences of this cowardice are plain to see.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/blac ... -7n3jk2czk
Newly released tax records filed by BLM show what happens when transparency is sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. BLM raised $90 million in 2020, the year of widespread racial justice protests over the police killing of George Floyd. It paid out just $26 million in grants to families and community groups.
It then went on a property spree, including buying a $6 million mansion in Los Angeles, complete with swimming pool, studio and office space.
Patrisse Cullors, the co-founder of BLM, who stepped down in May last year amid growing questions about her finances, has always denied any impropriety. She initially rebutted claims that she used the mansion for anything other than business. It later emerged that she had hosted private parties there. It has now been revealed that the father of her child was paid just under $1 million to help “produce live events” and other unspecified “creative services”. Her brother received more than $840,000 for providing security services.
The story of BLM that emerges from these belated financial disclosures is less one of racial justice, more that of a rudderless and leaderless organisation plagued by scandal and internal conflict. When Cullors resigned, no one seemed to be left in charge. According to its website, BLM now has a new leadership structure consisting of a board of three people.
It remains a mystery what it plans to do with the millions sitting in its bank accounts. Meanwhile, it continues to offer up laughable excuses for its failings: any request for total transparency apparently “makes BLM more vulnerable”, and delays in handing out funds are part of a wider project to “decolonise philanthropy”, whatever that means.
The suspicion remains that the reluctance early on to question the organisation’s record and performance stemmed from special treatment. People who should have known better were scared of being labelled racists by BLM supporters for asking tough questions. The consequences of this cowardice are plain to see.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/blac ... -7n3jk2czk