Embattled BLM Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors Sells Home and Dissolves Consulting Business Amid DOJ Probe
Amidst a Department of Justice probe into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation for potential fraud during the 2020 racial-justice protests, co-founder Patrisse Cullors and her wife have made significant personal moves. The couple has dissolved their consulting business and sold their joint LA home. Cullors has also dropped her spouse’s name, according to sources.
Cullors, known for her work focusing on the trauma and resilience of being Black in America, abruptly resigned from the organization in 2021 amidst scrutiny over her real-estate purchases and lifestyle. The controversy included the purchase of a Toronto mansion through a Canadian non-profit connected to her wife, Janaya Khan.
Records show that Black Lives Matter transferred millions of dollars to the Canadian charity for the property acquisition. Cullors and Khan dissolved their LLC, Janaya and Patrisse Consulting, in 2023, and Cullors no longer uses “Khan” as part of her last name.
The couple also sold their joint $1.4 million-plus home in California, with Khan transferring her portion to Cullors before the sale in September 2024. Cullors has since focused on her art, holding a solo show in Los Angeles last year.
Cullors, a self-described abolitionist, co-founded BLM in 2013 and served as its executive director for six years. She made headlines for her real-estate buying spree, acquiring multiple high-end properties over the years.
Despite facing criticism for BLM’s finances, including the purchase of a $6 million LA mansion and a Toronto mansion, Cullors denied any personal gain and emphasized her focus on art and activism. Her resignation from the organization was unrelated to the backlash over her real-estate purchases.
While Cullors had plans for a book and TV deal, the multi-platform deal with Warner Bros Television Group was secretly terminated. She has authored several books, including a memoir and an abolitionist’s handbook.
-Additional reporting by Jared Downing in LA
