According to the media, they are - as a whole - simply reporting on the reality of systemic racism within police forces. In an effort to paint this as the biggest threat to the black community, they seldom miss an opportunity to maximize the coverage of one of these deaths. The media, along with many celebrities, allows themselves to be the judge, jury, and executioner (at least of the police officer’s career) in each case as soon as it is deemed worthy of a national news story. BLM is always happy to support that narrative by creating chaos and garnering public support of these radical agendas.
I will give BLM some credit. In 2020, they made some updates and changes to their website. These came after former-NFL player turned commentator, Marcellus Wiley, made known some of BLM’s ulterior motives and goals. BLM removed a page on their website titled “what we believe” reported the New York Post in early fall of that year. The website used to read “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” according to the Post.
Wiley criticized the radical agenda of BLM, pointing out that much of his personal success in rising from Compton to where he is today is due to the tight knit family unit he was raised in. He also prides himself as a husband and father now, taking issue with their desires to dismantle the patriarchy in ways that seem to be anti-men, revealing themselves to be much more in line with other radical left movements than most of us had previously thought.
This all gave a great deal of ammunition to the Conservative Catholics, who saw these problems coming long ago, and had been attempting to convince other Catholics that the Black Lives Matter Organization’s objectives are contrary to those of the Church. BLM’s allegiance to totalitarianism through subjectivity was something that most religious people saw as an issue. If you have any love for the truth and for tradition, it was no longer hard to see that this organization was ardently against them both.
The two examples of cases I have overviewed thus far - Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown - both played a huge role in my opposition to BLM. But BLM, never to be outdone, even by a global pandemic, would take my disdain to new heights in the year of chaos that was 2020.
I still remember three distinct moments in my life following the death of George Floyd.
The first was watching the video of Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd. I was deeply saddened to see what was taking place. I had little to no context for the situation. I had no idea who either of these men were. I just hated what I saw.
The viral popularity of this video sparked a movement, especially among white liberals, to adhere to the advice of their black friends and colleagues to “check in on your black friends.” According to them, we were collectively not doing well. We watched NY Mets player Dom Smith weep on television as he lamented that “the hardest part is that people still don’t care.” Later, his remarks seemed pretty strange to me, considering that the entire world was talking about George Floyd, cities across the country were looted and burned in his memory, and that Floyd was canonized by the Left as the new patron saint of racial justice almost immediately following his death.
Before I came to my senses, I too was asked by a boss of mine at the time how I was doing with it all. This is my second clear memory. I must admit, despite my growth in faith and reason that led to me becoming pretty Conservative by this point, I was still pretty shaken up by it all. I remember going to daily mass that day at a local parish. This parish was pretty Covid conscious. It was the one and only time, thank God, that I had to witness Communion, that is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ Himself, distributed with small metal tongs. The same tongs that are used to pick out your muffin at a hotel continental breakfast were now entrusted with handling the Body of Christ.
And of course, they failed. I still remember watching the Deacon drop the host. Almost immediately, my mind was made sober. I remembered that Progressivism seeks to overrule reason with emotions, especially fear, at all times, seizing every opportunity to do so. The result of which is sin and chaos. As I drove back to my office, I made the resolution to learn more about the circumstances of the Floyd case.
As grace would have it, one of the first videos I found was a viral, 18 minute Facebook Live video by the one and only, Candace Owens. In typical fashion, Candace held absolutely nothing back, revealing her disgust with society’s willingness to hold someone up as a hero who had such a violent and ugly past. We can admit that any preventable death is tragic, but we can also be hesitant about how we elevate and idolize someone after their death. BLM can’t though. They are committed to canonizing lifelong criminals for the sake of the movement.
The death of George Floyd had led to so much division and restlessness in our country that BLM naturally had to step in and add to that. We all witnessed what followed: the “mostly peaceful” protests that caused upwards of $2 billion worth of damage, the deaths of 25 Americans, and injuries to more than 2,000 police officers.
Many of the lives and livelihoods that were lost during the second half of what was already one of the most stressful years in recent history were those of black Americans. But knowing BLM’s willingness to ignore any damage done to black lives outside of their very specific niche, i.e. unarmed black people killed by white police officers, we knew that none of this would matter to them.
Democratic politicians not only accepted the violence, but often encouraged it. And most of us logical people had to wonder why. Why were they so eager to boast support of the organization that was terrorizing their cities? Maybe because, as we came to see, the funds that are donated to BLM are handled by ActBlue, a nonprofit that also provides fundraising infrastructure exclusively to Democratic Politicians.
And I know, I know, all the Gates-funded fact checking organizations have “debunked” that theory. BLM did still bring in a staggering $90 million in 2020, which had to lead to a big payday for the founders.
The founders' large salaries didn’t begin in 2020. One of the co-founders, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, began her real estate buying spree as early as 2016. According to the New York Post, Cullors spent nearly $3 million on luxury homes in Los Angeles, Malibu, and Atlanta over a several year span. That’s quite the nice life for a self-proclaimed anti-capitalist Marxist. However, this too was “debunked” by liberal fact checkers over at USA Today.
USA Today claims they could only verify she was linked to $1.5 million and three of those homes. In regards to the fourth Malibu home they were admittedly “unsure.” What might be even better than BLM funds going directly toward Cullors’ homes is that she contends that she has only been paid $120,000 over a six year span ending in 2019. She actually contributes her newfound wealth to her other capitalistic ventures including two book deals and a production deal with Warner Bros, which surely she merited based on talent alone.
According to Fox Business, however, there is still some trouble lurking in the BLM finances. Just recently, BLM had to remove the option to donate from their website after the Progressive wonder lands of Washington state and California “demanded the group submit delinquent financial disclosures for 2020.” BLM reps responded immediately claiming they would take action as they are taking these issues very seriously.
What are California and Washington upset about? Oh, just that BLM “failed to submit an annual report for the 2020 tax year as required of charitable trusts.” I am no genius, but I have a hunch that they knew that was a requirement. Believe it or not, 2020 was the first year that BLM applied for and was granted the status of Nonprofit. I don’t know about you, but I sure can’t wait to see the reports on all the great work they did for the black community with that $90 million.
Even further, we have the fact that BLM was conveniently taken out of the Democrats’ starting line up and placed on the bench after the election. President Biden, according to BLM spokespersons, refused to meet with the group for months and, in meetings with other civil rights groups, criticized the negative impact of the Defund the Police movement on the election success for Democratic candidates.
Unfortunately, President Biden has yet to acknowledge the Defund the Police movement's partial responsibility for the 30% increase in murders between 2019 and 2020 and the 5% increase in 2021 from 2020. We also fail to hear any realistic plan to address any of the major issues facing the black community like fatherlessness, illiteracy, school choice, and violent crime, all of which immensely outweigh white supremacy in the day-to-day lived reality of black Americans.
Truthfully, the existence of the boogeyman that is white supremacy is what keeps the black vote Democrat. It keeps white liberals feeling like allies to the black community when they vote Democrat. It keeps lukewarm Christians on the fence about which party really cares about and supports the people. The Democrats support the people with rhetoric, while most Republicans support the people through policy.
Earlier in Part One, I mentioned one of my favorite quotes, but I failed to finish it. The quote begins with “if you are young and conservative, you don’t have a heart” but it ends with “and if you are old and liberal, you don’t have a brain.”
I love to hear the legendary Thomas Sowell speak in interviews about his journey from Marxism to Conservatism. When asked what moved him from the radical left to the right, his answer is always simple: facts.
Democrats appeal to emotion. They have to keep people angry and outraged in order to prevent voters from ever questioning the Democrat Party’s true motives or analyzing the outcomes of their policies. Nothing makes people more primed for manipulation and propaganda than fear and anger. Democrats have mastered the use of both. Contrarily, we, as Catholics, see anger to be one of the seven deadly sins. We also know that God tells us hundreds of times in Scripture: Be not afraid.
This same message was emphasized, especially to young people, by St. John Paul II repeatedly. He also railed against the evils of Communism, recognizing that it stands in direct opposition to the ideals of the Church.
BLM is but one of many machines within the Progressive movement that is used to control the masses and keep us from using our own minds, because a free mind that is determined to find the truth will always be successful in doing so.
The radical left’s agenda can be appealing to Christians as they claim to promote things that we value such as inclusion, unity, equality, love, and justice. But what we have to realize is that our definitions of those terms are so incredibly different that we can never hope to achieve the same ends.
My friend Noelle Mering, author of Awake, Not Woke, put it best: The fundamental message of Christianity is that I am loved, and therefore, I ought to love (both God and neighbor). But the message of the radical left is that I am hated, and therefore, I ought to hate.
This is seen in radical prophets like Ibram X Kendi who claims that “The only cure for racist discrimination is anti-racist discrimination. The only cure for past discrimination is present discrimination, and the only cure for present discrimination is future discrimination. In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race. There is no other way. And in order to treat some persons equally, we must treat them differently.” These modern activists in the fight for racial justice don’t advocate for the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, but rather, they advocate for his nightmare.
Dr. King dreamed of a world in which future generations of black Americans would not be judged by their skin color, regardless of whether that judgment be favorable or unfavorable. He dreamed of seeing our country get to a place where we could eventually move past race, allowing the principles of the constitution to truly reign the land for all men and women.
I don’t want to be fired because of my skin color. And thanks to the tireless efforts of my black ancestors, I have no reason to fear that I will be. But I also don’t want to be hired because of my skin color, but rather for my resume, my character, and my ability to handle the job.
I am aware that Democrats wish to buy my loyalty through promises of hand outs, racial advantages, and reparations. Honestly, it can be tempting to want to accept them. But one of the things I am most proud of is the hard work I’ve done, both internally and externally, to get to a place where I can look a pandering Democrat in the face and say, “I do not want or need your help. I do not want your pity. I do not want your shortcuts. And I do not need you to fight for me or to tell me how I ought to think.”
As Abigail Shrier once said, “You cannot buy me with flattery. Purchase my colleagues or classmates at bulk rate. I am not for sale.”
I take my freedom very seriously. It was paid for by the blood, sweat, and tears of both my black AND my white ancestors, so I embrace my obligation to maintain it. My ancestors didn’t fight for my body to be free so that I could willingly subject myself to mental slavery.
I am proud to now stand amongst the ranks of proud black Americans fighting for true equality, responsibility, and virtue in our nation. It is my hope that you will join the ranks, preparing for a lifelong mission of sharing the truth with great charity and compassion.
We live in a time of uncertainty, confusion, and division. It is difficult and somewhat dangerous to be a conservative Catholic in today’s world and I believe it will only become increasingly so. But when I think back to that 10-year-old boy I used to be, the one who wanted to risk his life to save others and fight for good in this world, I am deeply encouraged. Nobody in this room wanted to be a coward when they were a child.
We all dreamt of being a hero.
In Dr. Martin Luther King’s final speech, he said, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will.” My friends, I tell you firmly that without a diehard commitment to doing God’s will, you will not last in our society. If your life is not founded on prayer, love, and an unwavering loyalty to the Truth, you will be swallowed up by this world.
Jesus came so that we may be free. You were made to be free. And I beg you to fight for that freedom until your dying breath.
