Declining support for BLM means less corporate funding
Mount Holyoke professor of sociology Patricia A. Banks makes a connection between declining support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and fewer race-related corporate philanthropy commitments.
A new report finds that support for the Black Lives Matter movement has dropped significantly from its peak in the summer of 2020.
According to Yahoo News, a new Pew Research Center survey found that half of U.S. adults, or 51%, say they support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, down from 67% three years ago.
Professor of sociology Patricia A. Banks, author of “Black Culture, Inc.: How Ethnic Community Support Pays for Corporate America,” thinks there is a direct correlation between declining support for BLM and the sharp reduction in race-related philanthropic commitments from companies over the past three years.
“Given that these philanthropic commitments were in part driven by social activism and a heightened need in that moment to signal support for racial equity, the decline in support is likely at least partly a result of lower levels of racial justice activism,” she said. “Thus, the 2020 activism contributed to meaningful gains for African Americans. However, as the sociopolitical environment has shifted, in some cases those gains have not been long-term.”
