Black Lives Matter approved and shared $1.4 million in grant money with a nonprofit group founded by Michael Brown’s mother.
Lezley McSpadden founded the Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons & Daughters Foundation after Brown was killed.
Michael O.D. Brown was 18-years-old when he was gunned down on August 9, 2014, by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer, Darren Wilson. Wilson was not criminally charged with the murder. His killing “sparked protests all over the country, gaining international attention and support.”
Now, McSpadden aims to provide support, programs, and resources to underserved communities and families who have had to suffer from police brutality.
According to its website, the nonprofit organization’s mission “advocates for justice to reduce incidents of police brutality and other misconduct, improves the health of low-income communities experiencing disparities of care, advances continued education and strengthens families by providing community resources.”
The BLM grant was included in a file sent to the Internal Revenue Services, saying the purpose of the grant was “to conduct activities to educate and support Black communities.”
The St. Louis Business Journal states grants from BLM from July 1, 2020, to June 20, 2021, totaled $76.8 million to various organizations. Tax forms indicate McSpadden’s foundation raised $44,129 in 2015, $39,591 in 2016 and $11,803 in 2017.
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According to the nonprofit’s website, “BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.”
The organization has received scrutiny for how it uses its finances in the past. An article published in New York magazine scrutinized the foundation’s financial credibility for purchasing a $6 million home in California. The group’s former leader, Patrisse Cullors, said it was to be a safe house and a place for content creation.
