Where Did All the Money Shaun King Raised for Black Lives Go?
Shaun King is very good at raising money in support of black lives and—one of those lives might be his own.
King, one of the most visible faces of the Black Lives Matter movement and no stranger to controversy, is now beating back accusations that he has misappropriated or mismanaged charitable funds.
King collected millions of dollars for everyone from Haitian orphans to the families of black men and children killed by police across America. Some of that money went to survivors or victims’ families, but much of the largess either went into failed projects, King’s own pockets, or is unaccounted for.
“It’s just bullshit,” King told The Daily Beast on Tuesday after allegations were lobbed against him by members of his own movement. “People need to understand that failure is not fraud.”
The former mega-church pastor-turned-citizen journalist has leveraged heavy doses of charisma into 218,000 Twitter followers and a column at the New York Daily News to chronicle instances of suspected injustices carried out by police in predominantly non-white communities. King counts a flurry of A-list celebrities and largely left-leaning politicians among his most ardent fans. They follow his Twitter timeline for the latest news—whether it’s a video of a cop shooting an unarmed black boy or a school resource officer accused of brutalizing a teenager.
Like so many others, I “know” King only through the lens of social media. I have watched him grow in prominence and struggle to balance that newfound fame. There is nothing enviable about the white-hot glare of those who are devoted to your personal destruction on a daily basis. His focus on race and inequality has earned him the wrath of conservative bloggers and Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly. I have, at times defended him against some of the most vicious assaults and, at others, pulled his “coattail” when I thought some counsel could help.
To be honest, I have long been aware of the suspicions some harbor about how he manages charitable donations. I have groused privately about the veracity of some of his reporting and whether his body of writing met the publishing standards that so many in this business work under. I heard the whispers, the back room talk from people who did not want to be seen as “racist” or acting like “crabs in the barrel” for criticizing King.
“What do you think about Shaun King…” the conversation almost invariably opens. “I want to be fair,” I generally respond. “People haven’t always been fair to me.”
Certainly, King is sometimes the first to break a story nationally and a mention in his timeline all but guarantees that a cable news producer will see it. All too often, he is the only voice in the discourse that refuses to let go when the news cameras have packed up and gone home, and no one else is left to care but a grieving family and its lawyers. His dogged approach to following the minutiae of any given case has netted him a reputation for being vigilant, even if the early facts—as he spells them out—later fall apart.
Then too, even though King has not been among the thousands of protesters who organized and participated in public demonstrations across the country or lobbied policymakers in recent years, he is widely regarded by media outlets as a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement. For better or worse, it is that unofficial position that keeps him in the spotlight and has drawn the ire of several frontline black activists who often place themselves in harm’s way.
Notwithstanding the racially charged attacks that come almost hourly and malicious accusations about his ethnicity, King’s track record as a fundraiser continues to fan the flames of scrutiny. Several right-leaning news sites, including Breitbart and The Daily Caller, have openly interrogated that record and there has been some reporting in national publications, such as the The Washington Post. However, fueled in part by a public spat Sunday night with other Black Lives Matter activists, those embers are now alight again.
Documentation and actual figures are difficult to pin down, but the husband and father of five claims to have raised nearly $500,000 on behalf of families “affected by police violence or systemic racism.” But an examination of public records, published articles, and public statements by King and others associated with his work leave more questions than answers.
“It’s just bullshit. People need to understand that failure is not fraud.”
Chief among them are: How much money was definitely raised and how much of it was actually received by its stated and intended beneficiaries? Did King use his growing prominence as a fundraiser for social causes to enrich himself?
King started his professional career by feeding young minds and saving souls. Before he became a nationally known social justice columnist, before he amassed throngs of social media fans, he was a schoolteacher in Atlanta. After a brief stint in the classroom teaching civics, King entered the ministry—becoming a staff preacher at Total Grace Christian Center in an easterly suburb before founding his own church in 2008. As the congregation at Courageous Church grew, so then did King’s public personae. His name took flight, at least locally, as the “Facebook Pastor” for the way he used social media to engage prospective visitors and shore up its membership.
By his own account, the charismatic public speaker is a consummate fundraiser. “I have raised millions of dollars for causes around the world. I have sometimes been a first, and early responder,” King said.
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