Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors severely rebuked a New York Magazine reporter for writing an inflammatory and inaccurate report on the organization’s dealings, claiming the BLM used millions in donations to secretly purchase a $6 million home in Southern California.
Cullors took to social media to torch the author, Sean Campbell of the NYM’s Intelligencer, and vehemently refuted the so-called exposé as being “filled with misinformation, innuendo, and incendiary opinions.”
“I have never misappropriated funds, and it pains me that so many people have accepted that narrative without the presence of tangible truth or facts,” she told her 400K Instagram followers. “Nevertheless, this will soon be made clear upon the release of the BLM 990s.”
Cullors charges that mostly right-wing and racist forces peddled false and defamatory information to gullible audiences that said the BLM misappropriated public donations for personal gain and gratification. But an investigative USA Today report stated there was “no evidence to support the idea” that Cullors siphoned donations to her personal account to purchase four properties.
Patrisse Cullors is the Executive Director of Black Lives Matter Global NetworkFoundation (BLMGNF). She serves in this role in a volunteer capacity and does not receive a salary or benefits. pic.twitter.com/w43HJOdg2f
— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) April 13, 2021
The Los Angeles-born and bred Cullors, 38, who graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles and got her master’s at neighboring University of Southern California, created the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag in 2013 with Alicia Garza and Opai Tometi. It was in response to the outrage regarding George Zimmerman’s acquittal after killing Trayvon Martin.
Cullors, Garza and Tometi eventually founded the BLM organization and created national chapters in 2015, with Cullors becoming its most visible leader until May 2021 when she resigned as executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.
The activist said the property was purchased in 2020 for the purpose of housing “those within the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and broader movement community could work, create content, host meetings, and foster creativity.”
Cullors continues with her scathing letter to her followers below.
