Thursday 2 June 2022 04:01 AM New BLM chair appointed to tackle charity's financial scandal filed for ... trends now
Black Lives Matter have appointed to straighten out their finances an Atlanta-based activist who has been declared bankrupt three times, was ordered by a court to attend financial management lessons, and has more than $120,000 in unpaid debt.
Cicely Gay's appointment was announced by BLM's Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) on April 27, as the group struggles to combat accusations that the money donated has not been wisely spent, or properly accounted for.
The 44-year-old was one of three people appointed to the board, the organization said in a tweet. She subsequently was described as being chair of the board.
She told The New York Times she had been appointed to straighten out the organization's finances, after BLMGFN faced intense scrutiny over its spending of donor cash.
'No one expected the foundation to grow at this pace and to this scale,' said Gay.
'Now, we are taking time to build efficient infrastructure to run the largest Black, abolitionist, philanthropic organization to ever exist in the United States.'
On Wednesday, it emerged that Gay has been declared bankrupt three times, according to federal reports obtained by The New York Post.
Cicely Gay, 44, has been appointed to the board of directors of Black Lives Matter's Global Network Foundation
Gay has spent the past 20 years as an activist and consult in Georgia. She is pictured with fellow board members D'Zhane Parker, left, and Shalomyah Bowers
Gay, a mother of three, filed for bankruptcy in 2005, 2013 and 2016.
In 2013, she tried to apply for bankruptcy protection, but a federal judge tossed out the application because she failed to pay the $306 fee.
In 2015, she founded her public relations and consultancy firm, The Amplifiers.
But in 2016, when filing for her most recent bankruptcy, she answered 'no' when asked if she had opened a business in the last four years.
The business was dissolved in August 2017.
Her most recent filing, from August 2016, showed that she had more than $120,000 in debts, including owing $55,000 in student loans from time spent at Liberty University in Virginia and the University of Kansas.
The sum included more than $18,000 for leasing a Lincoln MKZ sedan, and $7,000 in medical expenses. It also included $8,000 owed to two Christian schools, according to the records.
The paper reported that Gay was forced by the court to attend courses on managing her money, and she completed one course on December 15, 2016.
Gay was able to get most of her debts 'discharged' in 2017, the bankruptcy records state, though it's unclear under what terms.
BLM did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
Gay, 44, said that she was proud of the work she had done with her family and community
Gay told The New York Post: 'I am so proud of the work I've done to support my children and build a better life for them as a single mother.
'In addition to engaging in a thorough vetting process, the Foundation recognized that I not only bring 20 years of extensive professional non-profit experience to the board, but I also bring personal experiences that mirror those of the people we are trying to serve.
'That is the work of the foundation — to break down systemic barriers to living full lives by providing the insights, tools and supports necessary for black people to thrive.'
BLMGFN has faced intense questions about its handling of donations, which surged in particular during the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020.
The organization in February 2021 said it had taken in more than $90 million in 2020 and still had $60 million on hand, but it remains unclear how that money is being managed or even where it is.
Patrisse Cullors, the
