The International Black Freedom Alliance and Michael Brown Sr., the father of the teen that was killed in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 by police officer Darren Wilson, are requesting $20 million from Black Lives Matter.
The request comes on the heels of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation revealing it received over $90 million in donations in 2020. The Black Lives Matter movement gained national attention following the protests that took place in response to the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown and received renewed attention in 2020 after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
The IBFA wrote that they want the money “to continue the work they and other[s] have been doing since the uprising since 2014.” Tory Russell, an activist and co-founder of the IBFA, who appeared with Michael Brown Sr., outlined the request and what the funds will be used for in a video that was released to social media. Russell also highlighted that Brown has only received $500 from groups affiliated to Black Lives Matter.
“We’re not asking for a handout, but for the funding to keep the movement strong where it began,” Russell said in the clip.
The IBFA also released a statement on the request and quoted Brown questioning where all of the funds raised by BLM will go.
“Why hasn’t my family’s foundation received any assistance from the movement?” Brown asked in the statement. “How could you leave the families who are helping the community without any funding?”
In a report from the Associated Press, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation said it gave $21.7 million in grants to BLM chapters and other organizations being led by Black people and finished out 2020 with a balance of over $60 million.
“They will utilize this funding for multiple years to re-establish community efforts, provide mutual aid and programs for the Black community as well as establish a community center in honor of Mike Brown Jr. to serve the community,” the IBFA said in a statement on where the requested $20 million will go if received. “The center will be a hub for where activism and community empowerment merge for the greater good of the St. Louis area. Money will be given to other families affected by police brutality like slain activist Darren Seals and Josh Williams who is currently incarcerated on what they believe are trumped up charges.”
