Black Lives Matter - Where did the money go?

In the past few months, Black Lives Matter could hardly complain about a lack of affection. Not only the benevolent reporting in the media or the solidarity from politics caused storms of enthusiasm. The big US companies also outbid each other in the joint fight against racism and transferred donations amounting to millions. Whether Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber, Nike or Coca-Cola: everyone wanted to be on board. The only question that remained was: who actually received all the money? And what happened to it?

Well, apparently this is also being asked internally. The official foundation Black Lives Matter Global Network (BLMGN), which was founded in 2013 by the black activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi and as a kind of umbrella organization, is being criticized. Meanwhile there is a lot of rumbling at the base.

For years, Black Lives Matter Global Network (@Blklivesmatter) has undermined the work & integrity of local chapters -- including BLM DC.

Today we went public. Read our statement here: https://t.co/VTbu2aZzds #BlackLivesMatter #BLM10

— Black Lives Matter DC (@DMVBlackLives) November 30, 2020

Some local offshoots - including the cities of Washington, Chicago, San Diego, Oklahoma City or Philadelphia - have teamed up and published a statement that has it all: “Since the establishment of BLMGN, our chapters have consistently raised concerns about financial transparency, decision making, and accountability,” the authors denounce the parent organization.

Black Lives Matter activist criticized
The focus of the criticism is particularly BLMGN co-founder Patrisse Cullors, of whom it is said in the paper that she became executive director “against the will of most of the offshoots and without their knowledge”. However, Cullors seems to have higher ambitions right now. She recently wrote an open letter to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris asking for "a seat at the table." Black voters would have made the presidency possible.

At the beginning of November, the 36-year-old was much more down-to-earth in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “The movement must belong to everyone,” she dutifully promised the Black Lives Matter supporters at the time . But who does the collected money belong to?

Source: Junge Freiheit