BLM Phoenix Metro

Background

Black Lives Matter (BLM) Phoenix Metro is a left-of-center activist group based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Its website claims that the group is autonomous from the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. ¹

BLM Phoenix Metro advocates for “reparations” and against “Western imperialism.” ¹ According to its website, the group’s end goal is to achieve “Black liberation” through ending “the carceral state, racial capitalism, colonialism, climate change, cis-heteropatriarchy and anti-Black violence.” ¹

The group also advocates in favor of “restorative justice” while opposing youth incarceration. ² They further claim that the best policy for the environment is to return land to Indigenous groups. ^{3 4} The group has also expressed support for groups that prevent fuel extraction. ⁵

Activities

According to its website, BLM Phoenix divides its work into two areas: “tear down the old world” and “build the new world.” ¹ The group claims to advocate for abolishing what it calls the “extractive, exploitative systems” through policy making, advocacy, and campaigning. ¹ In addition, the group claims to focus on “Black joy” by advocating for critical race theory, starting a racial minority art group to advocate for “reproductive justice,” and creating a book club to read Black literature exclusively. ¹

BLM Phoenix Metro co-founded the Phoenix Environmental Justice Coalition, a group that claims to focus on the “systemic roots of climate injustice,” prioritizes LGBT and racial-minority communities, and further claims that capitalism will not solve climate issues. ³

The group also claims to advocate for “reproductive justice” through the Empower Alliance and partners with Indigenous groups to combat “colonialism.” ^{6 4}

Financials

In 2021, BLM Phoenix Metro raised $428,024 in total revenue, made up of solely contributions and grants. The organization had total expenses of $227,115 and total assets of $354,020. The organization paid $31,012 in salaries, compensation, and other employee benefits. ⁷

Leadership

The group’s 2021 tax filing lists Mariam Araya, Sarra Tekola, Admaira Roman, and Elsa Gebreyohanes as co-directors of the organization. ⁷ Sarra Tekola, a co-founder of BLM Phoenix Metro, previously worked as a Ford Foundation fellow and as a climate change communication researcher. ⁸ Elsa Gebreyohanes is a student coordinator with the Common Ground Alliance at the University of Arizona. ⁹