This article was inspired by the words, actions and courage demonstrated by British Footballers Lyle Taylor and Wilfried Zaha. In a February 19th interview hosted by LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Lyle Taylor (Nottingham Forest Footballer) offered his views on “taking the knee” at football matches. During the interview, Taylor confirmed his agreement with Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace Footballer) stating that he finds the ritual of "taking the knee" at football matches degrading. Taylor also urged everyone to take a closer look at the BLM organisation, a movement that seems to be intent on exploiting the issue of racial injustice to push a radically political agenda. I decided to take Taylor’s advice to heart and do just that – to take a closer look at BLM.
Let’s start with the words of Taylor that inspired the drafting of this article:
"Not enough people have looked into the organisation that has brought this all to the fore. Now, I said before that I agree with the message that black lives do matter and something needs to be done about that to actually address that the racial inequality, and the societal injustice needs to stop. But by the same token, we are hanging our hat on a Marxist group who are simply looking to defund the police, they're looking to use societal unrest and racial unrest to push their own political agenda. And that's not what black people are, we're not a token gesture or a thing to hang your movement on just because it's what's powerful and what's going on at the moment." (The Daily Express – Kyle Farrell, February 19)
Given the “radioactive” nature of the BLM topic, EA concluded that the best way to deliver this story would be by telling it largely through a series of informative direct quotes. In the first section of quotes, EA strictly employs the words of the founders of BLM to confirm who they are, what they represent, and what their intentions are. In the second section of quotes, EA strictly cites the words of many prominent leaders of the black community from America and around the world regarding the methods being used by BLM.
On the surface, BLM presents itself as a grassroots movement dedicated to the noble tasks of fighting racism and police brutality. A deeper dive shows that BLM is a Marxist revolutionary movement aimed at transforming the United States — and the entire world — into a socialist/communist dystopia. The following set of direct quotes is sourced from BLM’s 3 principal founders (Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza) and their main chapters. The reader will notice an obvious pattern defined by a commitment to Marxist ideology, a tolerance for terrorism, a preoccupation with abolition (in every sense), a preference for its own independent militia, a pipeline into conspicuous and opaque funding sources, a penchant for race baiting, a reliance on public shaming and harassment, and an insatiable appetite to tear down capitalism and anything to do with capitalism.
BLM Founders Define the Aspirations of BLM in their Own Words
Marxism: "We actually do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alicia [Garza] in particular, we're trained organizers. We are trained Marxists. We are super versed on ideological theories." — BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, July 22, 2015.
Anarchism: "If this country doesn't give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it. All right? And I could be speaking figuratively. I could be speaking literally. It's a matter of interpretation. I just want black liberation and black sovereignty, by any means necessary." — BLM activist Hank Newsome, June 25, 2020.
Anti-Police: "There's no such thing as 'blue lives.' There is no hue of a blue life. Being a police officer is an occupation. It's a job. 'All lives matter'— it's like saying the sky is blue. I haven't heard how police are on the right side of history." — BLM co-founder Alicia Garza, ktvu.com, March 30, 2018.
Abolutionism: "We are an ABOLITIONIST movement. We do not believe in reforming the police, the state or the prison industrial complex." — BLM UK, June 21, 2020.
Anti-Capitalism: "We are anti-capitalist. We believe and understand that Black people will never achieve liberation under the current global racialized capitalist system." — Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), of which BLM is a part, June 5, 2020.
"We are living in political moment where for the first time in a long time we are talking about alternatives to capitalism." — Alicia Garza, BLM co-founder, March 2015.
Anti-Christian: "Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been. In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down." — BLM leader Shaun King, June 22, 2020.
Anti-Semitic: "We stand with Palestinian civil society in calling for targeted sanctions in line with international law against Israel's colonial, apartheid regime." — BLM UK, June 28, 2020.
Anti-Nuclear-Family: "We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and 'villages' that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable. The care and education of the children becomes a public affair; society looks after all children alike, whether they are legitimate or not." – BLM Manifesto
The BLM Agenda
Based on information publicly available in the BLM Manifesto and recruitment manuals, BLM's worldview is based on a mix of far-left theoretical frameworks, including critical race theory and intersectional theory. Critical race theory holds the position that racism is systemic and is based on a system of white supremacy therefore making it a permanent feature of American life. Intersectional theory asserts that people are disadvantaged by recurring sources of oppression: namely by race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and other identity markers.
BLM rejects individual accountability for behavior on the grounds that the ills of society (particularly as they relate to racism) are systemic and permanent. Racism, therefore, can only be defeated by completely dismantling the American economic, political and social system and rebuilding it from scratch — according to the BLM founder’s application of Marxist principles.
Based on the collection of quotes from its BLM founders (cited above), BLM appears to have an agenda set on replacing the foundational cornerstones of American society: (1) abolish the Judeo-Christian concept of the traditional nuclear family (the basic social unit in America); (2) abolish the police and dismantle the prison system; (3) mainstream transgenderism and delegitimize so-called heteronormativity (the belief that heterosexuality is the norm); and (4) abolish free-market capitalism and replace it with a radical and hybrid form of socialism/communism.
Two things about the BLM agenda are certainly clear. First, it is a massively funded operation. Major corporations have donated hundreds of millions to BLM since its launch in 2013. Similarly, uniparty donors like George Soros funnel conspicuously large donations to “the BLM cause” on an annual basis. In 2020, Soros donated over $220 million to BLM and related groups through his Open Society Foundation (NYT, Astead Herndon - June 13, 2020) Second, the primary focus of the BLM agenda is radical Marxism with all other priorities designated as distant and superficial in nature.
The following quotes from leaders in the black community corroborate the assertions made above and should, at a minimum, raise many questions about the “purity” and credibility of the BLM agenda and its methods.
Comments from Great Leaders in the International Black Community regarding BLM
Colonel Allen West: "Black Lives Matter does not support the critical civil rights issue of this day and educational freedom. How many young black kids are relegated to failing public schools in failing neighborhoods? Where does BLM stand on that issue? They stand with the progressive socialist left and the teachers unions." - Allen West, former U.S. Congressman for Florida and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel.
Dr. Ben Carson: "We have an organization [BLM] that is taking advantage of the fact that people don't know what is behind this Marxist driven organization. Like Martin Luther King, I believe in a color blind society." - Dr. Ben Carson, internationally renowned neurosurgeon, author and politician.
Thomas Sowell: "BLM mob rule is not democracy. It threatens democracy, as it threatens lives - black or white - all lives should matter. We may well be reaching a point of no return.
No one should imagine this [BLM] is helping the black community." - Thomas Sowell, American economist, social theorist, Hoover Institute Fellow.
Leo Terrell: "BLM are basically, in my opinion, profiteers. They are profiting on trying to give a narrative, a false narrative, that is: 'white racist cops are destroying the black community’. No BLM presence walking through Chicago protesting black-on-black crime. You know why? Because it is not profitable. There is no money to be made." - Leo Terrell, civil rights attorney and lifelong Democrat.
Dr. Eric Wallace: "The dubious goal of the politics of racial grievance exploited by BLM and others is to finance their causes. Thus, in order to advance their agendas, they have to come up with a negative narrative regardless of its veracity. The story must pull on the heartstrings of blacks to ensure solidarity and of whites to keep them feeling guilty and compliant. Hence, the false narrative that 'Blacks are being gunned down by white cops' excites those who have been conditioned to accept the claim regardless of its factual accuracy." - Dr. Eric Wallace, President of the Freedom's Journal Institute for the Study of Faith and Public Policy.
Dr. Carol M. Swain: "It's very clear to me that the Black Lives Matter organization is about something much bigger than black people, that it really is pushing a socialist, Marxist agenda.” - Dr. Carol Swain, Vanderbilt University Professor.
Burgess Owens: “Black Lives Matter Inc. is nothing but a Marxist organization. They hate God, they hate the family unit, the nuclear family, and they hate capitalism, so of course they are going to feel this way.” - Burgess Owens, Former American NFL football star & US Utah State Congressman.
David Clark: "I wish the Southern Poverty Law Center would add Black Lives Matter to the list of hate groups in America - this hateful ideology of Black Lives Matter." - Milwaukee Sheriff David Clark
Leonydus Johnson: "We now find ourselves in a place that I feel is the antithesis of the Civil Rights Movement. Instead of marching toward a world that deemphasizes the importance of skin color, we instead find ourselves pursuing a world where skin color is placed firmly and proudly at the forefront of identity, where Martin Luther King's idea of judging people by the content of their character takes a decided backseat to a person's ancestry, a world where white people must apologize and atone for sins that they never committed and black people claim victimhood for horrors that they never experienced. It is the exact thing the Civil Rights Movement aimed to defeat. - Leonydus Johnson, theatre and film actor.
Larry Elder: "Racism as a factor has never been more insignificant in American life.... you know who knows that? Barack Obama. Because when Barack Obama gives a commencement address at Howard University, he says that if you could be born at any time, anywhere, he said that it would be here and now. And this is a guy whose last name is Obama, born in Hawaii, middle name Hussein, knocks off Hillary Clinton and beats John McCain. And he believes racism is a major problem in America? Nonsense." - Larry Elder, radio talk show host and bestselling author.
Terry Crews: “If you are a child of God, you are my brother and sister. I have family of every race, creed and ideology. We must ensure #blacklivesmatter doesn’t morph into #blacklivesbetter.” - Former NFL player, actor, comedian and activist.
Dr. Carol Swain: "The most important thing is helping people realize to how important their own attitudes are. I would argue that a person's attitudes are more important than race, gender, social class in determining whether or not they are going to be successful." - Dr. Swain, former professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University.
Herman Cain: "I would characterize Black Lives Matter as working on the wrong problem. The right problem is black-on-black crime.... The economic boom of the 1990s caused black poverty to go down. That's what caused more black people to get jobs. This is the message that Black Lives Matter movement does not get. When everything gets better for everybody things get better for black people. You don't need a special program and you don't need pandering. Just realize what the big issues are that are going to help all of America." - Herman Cain, the late Republican presidential candidate and former American business executive.
Wilfried Zaha: “I feel like taking a knee [during football matches]. Growing up, my parents just let me know that I should be proud to be black, no matter what, and I just think we should stand tall. I think the meaning behind the whole thing [taking a knee] is becoming something that we just do now. I’m not going to take a knee.” - Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace Footballer Superstar & Philanthropist.
Herschel Walker: I saw a bunch of people holding a 'BLM' sign burning the Holy Bible, flag of the United States of America and a cross. I started thinking, NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB - is this the people you're supporting right now?' Is it the movement? Is it the organization? Because I don't think that's right. People, are we being fooled? It hurts because we're the greatest country in the world and they're taking a knee on the United States. Do we have our problems? Yes, we do. Can we solve them? Yes, we can." - Herschel Walker, American NFL football legend.
Candace Owens: “#BLM Movement Is About Black Anarchy - And, I Will Never Bend a Knee to That!” – Candace Owens, American author and activist.
Conclusion
A conclusion to this topic is best left to the reader. It has been the purpose of this article to shed light on the BLM topic through the words of those best suited to offer the most valuable insights and perspectives. According to the comments made by prominent leaders of the black community, any effort by BLM to advance its Marxist agenda by exploiting insincere veils of racism would be considered most unacceptable. It is refreshing and encouraging to see professional athletes like Wilfried Zaha and Lyle Taylor setting a courageous and principled example for others to follow. By: Extremely American Colin Wright