Support the Movement NOT the Organization

As we all know, many people have donated to Black Lives Matter, the NATIONAL organization, which has resulted in the organization gathering millions of dollars in donations (possibly close to a BILLION). With people protesting and shouting the words "Black lives matter!", this will result in people who want to help searching up this phrase and accompanying it with the word "donate". The first link that pops up is the national organization. However this is where the problems begin.

Before I start, I would like to state that when I mention "BLM National/Global", "BLM Organization" or "BLM" I am referring to the NATIONAL organization, the headquarters of the organization, NOT local chapters/organizations.

Please remember that the MOVEMENT we are currently experiencing, as in protests and local meet-ups, is not equivalent to the ORGANIZATION. Deray McKesson recent 8-point plan for police which is a call for police reform does not align with what I have seen protesters call for, which is defunding and abolishing the police. That is evidence enough.

With that being said, it is also an issue being that the national organization is looked at as what Black people want overall even though the organization itself does not have, if at all, any information on themselves and what they precisely do with the money, which leads to the next question.

"Where is all this money going?"

The answer to that question? Well ... there is no answer. It is simply "We do not know." An article written in 2018 by Marley K. on medium.com had this to say on attempting to follow the money trail.

TLDR: At the end of the trail is a dead end. BLM does not state at all on their website where the donations are being sent. Not in their Global Actions section, not in their About section, and not in their Programs section. Everything is very vague. We could argue that the donations make it to the local chapters but some local chapters have been shut down due to a lack of funding ... millions and millions of dollars donated to BLM but local chapters have shut down because of not having money to organize efficiently? What sense does that make?

Kailee Scales, the Managing Director for Black Lives Matter Network Action Fund and Black Lives Matter Global Network, Inc., held a Reddit AMA, an interactive Q/A. Scales said to ask her anything, but when Redittors started asking where the donations, she went quiet. It was not just one person asking, but multiple. Her answers in the AMA were also vague in terms of what they plan to do without an actual plan behind it, as well as "reposting and saying going to [the] BLM website" as perfectly stated by Reddit user CynfulDelight.

Check out the thread yourself here.

Ashley Yates, an activist from Ferguson, Missouri, has took to Twitter recently to warn people not to donate to Black Lives Matter. Tweeting in present day as well as retweeting her tweets from two years ago. Her message? BLM takes credit while doing ABSOLUTELY nothing. It is important to note that BLM took off after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and was widely criticized by Ferguson activists for profiting off their hard work and claiming it as their own as well as gathering millions of dollars through donations with none going back to the community which is in turn profiting and exploiting Black deaths. The representation of Ferguson does not include those who are actively protesting for change in Ferguson. The representation of Ferguson are paid representatives who have essentially no idea about what is really happening in Missouri for Black lives. Darren Seals spoke out about it and was found shot dead in a car that was set on fire.

BLM is performative. Those who speak for BLM, as in the co-founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, and Deray McKesson, are the representatives of BLM. They are called when news and media outlets want to speak about what "Black Lives Matter" means, when there are awards to be accepted, and photoshoots to be done. But for those who are actually doing the organizing and fundraising in the local chapters, organizations, and groups? Well BLM takes it as their own, just like in Ferguson, even though Kailee Scales said "There are many other groups who do work as well, but BLM Global Network cannot vouch for the goals, values, and principles of other groups."

The local chapter in NYC stated this back in 2018:

"The best way for us to move our Black liberation work forward is to be autonomous from the global network. We will take time to build a collective that can realize our power, be accountable to our community, and transformative in our politics [...] Though we will no longer identify as Black Lives Matter NYC or have any direct affiliation with the Global BLM Network, we will continue to do our work as Black liberation fighters. We remain committed to the projects that we have launched individually and collectively and to fostering the relationships we have built."

Looking at the local chapters that are still active, unlike BLM National/Global, they state where their donations are going. For example, BLMDC states "We need funds to continue our radically accessible commitment to providing healthy food from Black owned businesses, paid childcare at every event and having ASL interpreters at our monthly gatherings. On average, our monthly open houses attract 300+ people and costs us $1,000." as well as stating the programs they align themselves with and donate to right there on their Home page! Although not explicitly stated, it seems clear to me that BLMDC does not associate themselves with BLM National/Global with the work they have and continue to do as well as not even mentioning the National/Global organization.

Activism for profit. That is what BLM National/Global proves itself to be. As stated before, the MOVEMENT is NOT the ORGANIZATION. The movement is NOT a fraud. The local organizations and groups that are organizing protests and events to combat police brutality and in all the problem at the root of it all, systemic racism, is NOT a fraud. What is proving to be a fraud, and what has been swept under the rug due to the constant silencing of Black voices, is BLM.

What I ask for is to DONATE LOCALLY and DONATE DIRECTLY. Donate to organizations, charities, chapters and funds that support Black lives that are LOCAL to your community and has continuously helped your community. Donate directly to Black owned businesses and funds. Donate locally before even thinking of donating nationally. That is the rule.