Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter announced that she is stepping down as the executive director of the BLM movement’s foundation.
Cullors denounced a smear campaign launched by a far-right group that has tried to disparage her but said neither that nor recent criticism from other Black organizers had influenced her decision to step down.
Cullors, whose last day is today, has been a leader of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation for nearly six years. She claims she is leaving the foundation to focus on other projects, including the upcoming release of her second book and a multi-year TV development deal with Warner Bros.
Her resignation also comes in the wake of controversy over the foundation’s finances and public scrutiny over her personal wealth.
“I’ve created the infrastructure and the support, and the necessary bones and foundation, so that I can leave,” Cullors told The Associated Press. “It feels like the time is right.”
