On June 11, disgraced Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Cullors delivered a University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) virtual graduation speech.
According to a press release from June 1, Cullors spoke at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs graduation. Other speakers included artist and social justice activist “Mr. Wash” and Democratic Representative Ted Lieu (CA). The school praised Cullors — a UCLA alumna and self-described “trained Marxist” — for her years in social justice activism.
“Patrisse Cullors is at the heart — and the foundation — of a movement for human rights, social change, and genuine equality under the law,” Luskin Dean Gary Segura said in a statement. “Her work and the work of those who follow is way past due.”
The description of Cullors failed to acknowledge that she departed BLM after the Daily Caller reported that she funneled business to an art company, Trap Heals, led by the father of her only child. Experts condemned the arrangement and said that Cullors dealings raise “ethical and legal questions.”
The Daily Caller reported that two other activist groups co-founded by Cullors also made payments to Trap Heals under her leadership. One of the groups, BLM PAC, shelled out $148,00 for Trap Heals to produce a live steam event on Cullors’ personal YouTube channel.
BLM did not explain Cullors’ sudden departure, though top activists called on the organization to undergo an “independent investigation” into the group’s finances. Cullors called the accurate reports against her “a smear campaign from a far-right group.”
Cullors also fell under fire after the New York Post reported that she had bought four “high-end” homes for $3.2 million in the United States alone. The BLM co-founder also eyed property in the Bahamas at a resort where Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods have homes. The luxury apartments are priced between $5-20 million.
The New York Post reported:
The self-described Marxist last month purchased a $1.4 million home on a secluded road a short drive from Malibu in Los Angeles, according to a report. The 2,370-square-foot property features ‘soaring ceilings, skylights, and plenty of windows’ with canyon views. The Topanga Canyon homestead, which includes two houses on a quarter-acre, is just one of three homes [Cullors] owns in the Los Angeles area, public records show.
BLM activists have condemned Cullors for profiting off of BLM. Hawk Newsome, the leader of Black Lives Matter Greater New York, told the New York Post that Cullors’ dealings placed doubt on the legitimacy of the BLM movement.
“If you go around calling yourself a socialist, you have to ask how much of her own personal money is going to charitable causes,” Newsome said. “It’s really sad because it makes people doubt the validity of the movement and overlook the fact that it’s the people that carry this movement.”
The father of Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by police in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, signed on to a growing group of activists demanding accountability and transparency from BLM.
The Daily Wire reported:
Michael Brown Sr. has signed his name to a new group called BLM 10 Plus, which seeks financial transparency from BLM Global Network Foundation, as controversy surrounding BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors and her lavish lifestyle continues to bubble.
“The number of chapters that have aligned in support of our statement has nearly doubled,” said a statement from BLM 10 Plus, issued Friday. “Some of these chapters have made their own statements echoing not just our call to accountability but also our experiences as we sought transparency, democracy, and internal transformation for years.”