The head of the New York BLM chapter has called for an investigation into the organization after discovering one of the co-founders purchased a home in Los Angeles for $1.4 million.
What We Know:
- A self-described “Marxist,” Patrisse Khan-Cullors founded BLM in 2013 in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Khan-Cullors first created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and assumed the BLM Global Network Foundation’s leadership, which oversees all local BLM chapters.
- After the details surrounding the purchase of her L.A. home became public, Hank Newsome, the head of BLM in NYC, raised concerns about how the organization allocates funds. “If you go around calling yourself a socialist, you have to ask how much of her own personal money is going to charitable causes,” said Newsome speaking to the NY Post.
“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,” said Newsome.
- The Post reported that Khan-Cullors had purchased four different homes for a total of $3.2 million. According to property records, all of these purchases came within the last several years. Khan-Cullors also viewed properties at a luxury resort in the Bahamas, where the prices range from $5-$20 million per home.
- The BLM co-founder began her real estate endeavors in 2016. That year she purchased a home in Inglewood, CA, for $510,000. In 2018 she purchased a four-bedroom home in South L.A. for $590,000. The value of both homes has increased significantly in the years since.
- In 2020, Khan-Cullors along with her spouse and co-founder of BLM in Canada, Janaya Khan, traveled to Georgia to purchase yet another home. This property was a ranch on 3.2 acres of land large enough to include a private airplane hangar and runway. The Post reported the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house has an indoor swimming pool and was purchased for $415,000. Their most recent L.A. purchase was made in March of this year.
- Khan-Cullors released the best-selling memoir in 2018 titled When They Call You A Terrorist. In addition, the activist signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. in October to produce content for marginalized Black voices. It is unknown how much she received compensation for either deal or her salary as one of the BLM executives.
Khan-Cullors was raised in the poor Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles. Outside of BLM, the activist also works as a Social and Environmental Arts professor at Prescott College in Arizona.
