BLM's Appointee To Fix Finances Has History Of Money Troubles: Report
June 2 2022, Published 10:28 a.m. ET
The woman who's been appointed to fix Black Lives Matter's financial issues has, well, financial problems.
According to the Daily Mail, the Atlanta activist BLM has appointed to fix its financial woes has gone bankrupt three times, was ordered by a court to attend finanical management classes and has more than $120,000 in debt.
Cicely Gay was appointed by BLM's Global Network Foundation on April 27 as the organization attempts to save face after scrutiny over how it spent money donated. Gay was described as chair of the board among three people appointed, BLM stated in a tweet, the Daily Mail reports.
Gay told The New York Times she was appointed to fix the organization's financial issues that have been scrutinized since a tax return showed questionable spending practices.
"No one expected the foundation to grow at this pace and to this scale," Gay said. "Now, we are taking time to build efficient infrastructure to run the largest Black, abolitionist, philanthropic organization to ever exist in the United States."
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The New York Post initially reported Gay's financial issues, citing federal reports it obtained. Gay reportedly filed for bankruptcy in 2005, 2013 and 2016.
According to the Daily Mail, Gay applied for bankruptcy protection in 2013 but was denied because she didn't pay the $306 fee. In 2015, she founded a public relations and consultancy firm called The Amplifiers, but in 2016, when she filed for bankruptcy again, she answered "no" when asked if she opened a business in the last four years.
A 2016 filing showed that Gay had more than $120,000 in debt, including $55,000 in student loans from her time at Liberty University and the University of Kansas, according to the Daily Mail. The debt total included $18,000 for the lease of a Lincoln MKZ sedan, $7,000 in medical expenses and $8,000 owed to a pair of Christian schools, records showed.
Gay had most of her debts "discharged" in 2017, though records aren't clear on the terms of the agreement.
The Daily Mail reached out to BLM for comment but did not hear back.