Hypocrite? Double standards? Those are just a couple of terms flying across the internet regarding Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors. The self-proclaimed “trained Marxist” was called on the carpet after purchasing $3.2 million worth of homes while at the same time calling the housing marketplace racist.
Khan-Cullors, 37, tweeted out her comments while linking to an NPR documentary, We Hold These Truths, and specifically the episode “Black Americans and the Racist Architecture of Homeownership.” She said the series was “highlighting the history of racism inside the housing market” and “Black homeownership has always been a way to disrupt white supremacy.”
According to NPR, 41.8% of black Americans owned homes in the 1960s, and in 2019 that rate had gone up only to 42.3%. “Over the last 15 years, Black homeownership has declined more dramatically than for any other racial or ethnic group in the United States,” the report stated.
The BLM co-founder is being hit on two major issues:
Her fellow Marxists say she is breaking the rules by profiting from capitalism and owning property.
Conservatives (and others) have condemned her for purchasing property in a predominantly white neighborhood.
Khan-Cullors defended her actions to Marxists by saying this was her way of investing in the black community, “in direct support of Black people.” She added that the negative attention she receives is mostly from conservative media, which is “racist and sexist.” In an interview with Marc Lamont Hill, she argued:
“I think that is a critique that is wanting, and I say that because the way that I live my life is in direct support of Black people, including my Black family members, first and foremost. For so many Black folks who are able to invest in themselves and their community, they choose to invest in their family, and that’s what I have chosen to do.”
The BLM leader spent $3.2 million on four high-end homes, one of which she purchased for $1.4 million in a mostly white Los Angeles neighborhood. Conservatives have called it hypocritical for her to embrace capitalism and own private property, while liberals have criticized her extreme spending, Offended, Khan-Cullors responded:
“And the fact that the right-wing media is trying to create hysteria … is, frankly, racist and sexist and I also want to say that many of us that end up investing in homes in the black community often invest in homes to take care of their family.”
However, a chapter of her own organization is questioning her purchases. BLM Greater New York City has called for an “independent investigation” into the recent spending spree, while Khan-Cullors argues the Los Angeles house is more of a “communal property.” Also, she is being accused of profiting from the national Black Lives Matter organization, which, according to reports, received $90 million in donations in 2020 that hasn’t been publicly accounted for yet.
The BLM activist swears she has not received any payments from the nonprofit and has earned her money through her brand and book deals. Some of her profitable endeavors include a best-selling memoir with a follow-up in the works, paid speaking gigs, and a deal with Warner Bros. Khan-Cullors also works as a professor of Social and Environmental Arts at Arizona’s Prescott College.
In the 1960s, the housing market was racist – at the time legally. But is it still so discriminatory today? While there may be some truth to that, Khan-Cullors’ message is being lost as her actions are questioned. On one hand, she calls the housing market racist while doling out $3.2 million for homes. On the other, her expensive personal real estate purchases seem to contradict the tenets of Marxism on owning private property. The lack of transparency on the distribution of $90 million in donations to BLM is causing many to wonder if their generosity is serving the right cause. Is it any wonder people are questioning and shaking their heads?
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Read more from Kelli Ballard.
