A BLM-affiliate group out of Ohio is changing their names to separate themselves from the existing Black Lives Matter label, seeing a sort of stigma of sorts due to what they claim is the existing leadership “profiting from black death”.
That group, Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati (BLMC), was founded over three years ago and recently landed on a new name: Mass Action for Black Liberation.
“We can no longer use or identify with the name Black Lives Matter – a rally cry that still has meaning, even if perverted by those pushing it as a brand,” the newly-named group explained on its website last week.
Why Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati Is Changing Its Name https://t.co/NVtoKDsdss
— MABL – Mass Action for Black Liberation Cincy (@MABLCincy) March 28, 2018
They don’t specifically name any names but do call out several examples of behavior that has contributed to their decision:
They have gained access to high profile associations, including invitations to the White House and celebrity events; have been on magazine covers; are on the way to profiting as authors and subjects of books; and have accepted numerous awards and accolades as so-called founders of the movement – while families struggle, unassisted, to keep their fights going. So many people on the ground have shared a similar experience: when the reporters leave and the bright lights are gone, so are they (BLM).
Ashley Yates, a nationally known organizer had a public falling out with BLM last year and she seems to get it. She posted the Cincinnati activists’ allegations on social media, along with the comment: “I don’t know these people but I know there’s a whole lotta facts here.”
“Kudos to them for putting it together so intentionally, with purpose and conviction,” she continued. “Most movement folks just whisper about it.”
Let’s hope that they stay in the realm of truth and not give in to what the leaders of the organization they so eagerly leave have fallen in to.