The Atlanta activist Black Lives Matter has picked to sort up the organization’s finances has been declared bankrupt three times, was ordered by a court to take financial management classes, and owes more than $120,000.
BLM’s Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) announced Cicely Gay’s appointment on April 27, as the organization battles claims that funds given were not wisely utilized or properly accounted for.
The 44-year-old was one of three persons selected to the board, according to a tweet from the group. She was afterwards described as the board’s chairperson.
She told The New York Times she had been appointed to straighten out the organization’s finances, after BLMGFN faced intense scrutiny over its spending of donor cash.
‘No one expected the foundation to grow at this pace and to this scale,’ said Gay.
‘Now, we are taking time to build efficient infrastructure to run the largest Black, abolitionist, philanthropic organization to ever exist in the United States.’
On Wednesday, it emerged that Gay has been declared bankrupt three times, according to federal reports obtained by The New York Post.
Gay, a mother of three, filed for bankruptcy in 2005, 2013 and 2016.
In 2013, she tried to apply for bankruptcy protection, but a federal judge tossed out the application because she failed to pay the $306 fee.
In 2015, she founded her public relations and consultancy firm, The Amplifiers.
But in 2016, when filing for her most recent bankruptcy, she answered ‘no’ when asked if she had opened a business in the last four years.
he business was dissolved in August 2017.
Her most recent filing, from August 2016, showed that she had more than $120,000 in debts, including owing $55,000 in student loans from time spent at Liberty University in Virginia and the University of Kansas.
The sum included more than $18,000 for leasing a Lincoln MKZ sedan, and $7,000 in medical expenses. It also included $8,000 owed to two Christian schools, according to the records.
The paper reported that Gay was forced by the court to attend courses on managing her money, and she completed one course on December 15, 2016.
Gay was able to get most of her debts ‘discharged’ in 2017, the bankruptcy records state, though it’s unclear under what terms.
BLM did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Gay told The New York Post: ‘I am so proud of the work I’ve done to support my children and build a better life for them as a single mother.
‘In addition to engaging in a thorough vetting process, the Foundation recognized that I not only bring 20 years of extensive professional non-profit experience to the board, but I also bring personal experiences that mirror those of the people we are trying to serve.
‘That is the work of the foundation — to break down systemic barriers to living full lives by providing the insights, tools and supports necessary for black people to thrive.’
BLMGFN has faced intense questions about its handling of donations, which surged in particular during the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020.
The organization in February 2021 said it had taken in more than $90 million in 2020 and still had $60 million on hand, but it remains unclear how that money is being managed or even where it is.
Patrisse Cullors, the co-founder of the organization, resigned in May 2021 as director of BLMGNF, amid scrutiny of her own property empire. She has written best-selling books, and has a contract with Warner Brothers to produce content.
Then in April this year it emerged that BLMGFN had bought a mansion in Los Angeles for $5.8 million, which they said was to be used as a ‘safe space’ for activists and for events.
The organization responded to the reports in a lengthy Twitter feed, with the group noting that more ‘transparency’ was required going forward.
There have been a lot of questions surrounding recent reports about the purchase of Creator’s House in California. Despite past efforts, BLMGNF recognizes that there is more work to do to increase transparency and ensure transitions in leadership are clear,’ it stated.
BLM then proceeded to blame the media for the furore and the ‘inflammatory and speculative’ reports that saw journalists probing the group’s financials saying that it ’caused harm’
The reports ‘do not reflect the totality of the movement,’ the organization claimed.
‘We know narratives like this cause harm to organizers doing brilliant work across the country and these reports do not reflect the totality of the movement,’ one of the tweets reads. ‘We apologize for the distress this has caused to our supporters and those who work in service of Black liberation daily.’
‘We are redoubling our efforts to provide clarity about BLMGNF’s work,’ noting an ‘internal audit’ was underway together with ‘tightening compliance operations and creating a new board to help steer to the organization to its next evolution.’
BLM attempted to justify the purchase of the mansion by saying it was made to encourage ‘Black creativity’ with the property ‘a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their crafts as we see it.’
The organization also went on to defend how the funds the group raised were spent including the $3 million used for ‘COVID relief’ and a further $25 million dollars to black-led organizations.
‘We are embracing this moment as an opportunity for accountability, healing, truth-telling, and transparency. We understand the necessity of working intentionally to rebuild trust so we can continue forging a new path that sustains Black people for generations,’ the group wrote.
The barrage of tweets, which notably had their comments turned off, ended with the group announcing they were ’embracing this moment as an opportunity for accountability, healing, truth-telling, and transparency’ and ‘working intentionally to rebuild trust.’
Concerns over the groups finances have swirled for years with BLM coming under intense scrutiny in the past.
In February the group stopped online fundraising following a demand by the California attorney general tho show where millions of dollars in donations received in 2020 went.
The group said the ‘shutdown’ was simply short term while any ‘issues related to state fundraising compliance’ were addressed.