While some people are physically taking to the streets to fight against racism and police brutality, others are sharing their support on social media, educating themselves on systemic racism, and many are donating to the families, campaigns and foundations associated with the protests. However, recent reports beg the question: do you know where your Black Lives Matter donations are going?
Speaking of supporting the fight against racial injustice, hear about how you can help below:
A new report from BuzzFeed News found that millions of dollars have been raised for a charitable organisation named the Black Lives Matter Foundation. However, it has absolutely zero ties to the official Black Lives Matter movement.
According to BuzzFeed, major corporations including Apple, Google and Microsoft “raised $4 million” for the foundation which has nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter Global Network. Companies like GoFundMe were also unaware that the foundation had no affiliation to the movement and “froze funds only after being contacted” by the publication.
In a statement, a Black Lives Matter spokesperson confirmed that groups are “two completely separate organisations” and the foundation “has nothing to do with us.”
The man behind the Black Lives Matter Foundation, Robert Ray Barnes, told BuzzFeed News that “no one owns the concept” and claimed that Black Lives Matter had “stolen” his name and idea.
The issue here appears to lie in the names – Barnes’ foundation is named the ‘Black Lives Matter Foundation’, whilst the official movement’s name is ‘Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc.’ Without a clear differentiation, confusion has led people to donate to Barnes’ foundation rather than the official movement.
The real question here is: where is the money actually going? Barnes reportedly refused to tell BuzzFeed News how much his foundation has raised but insists he “intends to use those funds to create his ‘prototypes’ for community and police bonding.”
So, how do we make sure donations are going to the right place? In 2018, Self spoke to a range of financial experts who suggested picking a charity that is “aligned with your beliefs” and being picky about how your donations are specifically used.
Most importantly, do your homework and ask questions like “who else is operating in the space? What are the qualifications of the leadership? How is the solution that is being presented going to actually address the issue?”
Ashley Post, a spokesperson for Charity Navigator told Real Simple earlier this year, “the best way to avoid being had is to know a) the person who started the campaign and b) exactly what the donation will pay for.”
Black Lives Matter is an incredibly worthy cause and something we can all support – we just need to be vigilant in making sure that support is going to the right place.
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