As I was walking as part of my cool-down after my run this morning I passed by a person who was chatting with a worker from a nearby construction site. The worker was very animated in his talking, practically shouting "They're admitted Marxists! They're all f**king Communists!"
I assume this worker was referring to the Black Lives Matter movement, which was started in 2013 after the acquittal of the person who killed Trayvon Martin. One of the co-founders said in an interview in 2015 that she and one of the other co-founders are "trained Marxists", during the discussion of the backgrounds of the people who started the organization.
So what does that mean? What it DOES mean is that one or perhaps two of the founding members of Black Lives Matter have studied Marxism and identifies as Marxist. What is DOES NOT mean is that BLM is a Marxist organization. Think of it like this analogy: let's say a person who studied the catechism and identifies as a Catholic decides to open a restaurant with some partners, one of whom periodically attends Mass. What that means is that one, or perhaps two, of the owners are Catholic. That DOES NOT mean the restaurant is a Catholic business, or that the workers are all Catholic, or that the customers are Catholic, specifically. Or Christian, in general. It DOES mean that at least one of the owners studied Catholicism, and is probably influenced in their personal life by those teachings.
The idea that BLM is a "Marxist organization" was expressed in a Facebook post from a group called PragerU that featured a video in which a former professor discussed the 2015 interview, pointing out the conversation regarding Marxism by one of the founders. In looking at PragerU as a source, it is important to note that PragerU calls itself "Prager University", but is not a university nor any type of institute of higher education. At the bottom of their front page is this line: "Prager University is not an accredited academic institution and does not offer certifications or diplomas. But it is a place where you are free to learn". PragerU is a forum written by a self-described conservative talk-show host and his producer/writer.
A good place to check out the veracity of internet statements is PolitiFact, which gathers its information from a wide range of sources. In checking out this Facebook allegation, PolitiFact cites sources ranging from the Hoover Institute (Stanford University) to Brietbart to the New York Times to the Foundation for Economic Education, and more. Their short take?
- Black Lives Matter was founded by community organizers. One of the three co-founders said in 2015 that she and another co-founder “are trained Marxists.”
- Black Lives Matters has grown into a national anti-racism movement broadly supported by Americans, few of whom would identify themselves as Marxist. (7/21/2020 – PolitiFact)
Want to know more? I’ve included the links to the PolitiFact article, and to the Black Lives Matter website. In my experience, checking out information from primary sources and trusted research sites is always preferable to simply accepting what I read in a post, even if it is a post made by someone I like and with whom I agree. Always sticking with information from like-minded people and organizations leads to something called “confirmation bias”, which is defined by Lexico/Oxford as “the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories”. Although it is more comforting to sit with information that doesn't challenge one's beliefs, it is vitally important to search out accurate facts when trying to determine the accuracy of information. An article published in Psychology Today states "Disconfirming instances are far more powerful in establishing the truth" (Shahram Heshmat, Ph.D., University of Illinois – 4/23/2015 – Psychology Today)
Black Lives Matter is
not a Marxist organization, nor are those who associate with it Communists.
Black Lives Matter “is not an organization, but a fluid movement; it doesn’t
actually matter if one of its founders was a liberal, Marxist, socialist or
capitalist." (Miriyam Aouragh, Westminster
School of Media and Communication, London – 7/21/2020 - PolitiFact)
