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Electoral Justice Project

Website:

electoraljusticeproject.org
Type:

Advocacy Group
Project of:

Movement for Black Lives
Directors:

Jessica Byrd & Rukia Lumumba

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The Electoral Justice Project is a left-of-center social initiative to mobilize Black voters. It is a project of the Movement for Black Lives, which is a fiscally sponsored project of the Common Counsel Foundation. 1 2 3

The Electoral Justice Project’s efforts have included supporting measures that weaken election integrity. Its policy aims also include the defunding of police departments across the United States, reductions in criminal penalties and other left-of-center carceral changes, and reparations for Black Americans. 1

Initiatives and Activism

The Electoral Justice Project maintains several initiatives. It maintains the Electoral Justice League, an annual group of 12 to 15 left-of-center racial-advocacy fellows who receive training and experience with the Electoral Justice Project in support of its mission. 4

The Electoral Justice Project also manages the Black Caucus Project, a mobilization effort to increase black voter turnout in elections through town hall and caucus events. 5

The Electoral Justice Project also hosted the Black National Convention in August 2020 in tandem with the Democratic National Convention. The Black National Convention’s purpose was advocating left-of-center demands during the 2020 presidential election. 6

The Breathe Act is another initiative of the Electoral Justice Project. The Breathe Act is a proposed bill focused on divestment from policing and carceral institutions and reinvestment in community and social policing as well as other left-of-center climate and environmental justice initiatives. It was authored in response to several deaths of Black Americans during altercations with law enforcement. The proposed legislation has not moved forward in the legislative process. 7 8 9 The Breathe Act received support from prominent Democratic members of Congress, including U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). 10

In partnership with the Working Families Party (WFP) in 2020, the Electoral Justice Project launched the WFP Justice Fund, an effort to support local elected officials who support the radical police, carceral, and electoral policies of the Movement for Black Lives and the Electoral Justice Project. 11

Movement for Black Lives and M4BL Action

The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) is the fiscal sponsor for the Electoral Justice Project. 1 M4BL is a coalition of more than 50 left-of-center racial-advocacy organizations associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization itself is a fiscally sponsored project of the Common Counsel Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. 12 It was formerly a project of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ). 13

The Movement for Black Lives endorsed a platform in 2016 described as “an extraordinary grab bag of anti-American and fundamentally Marxist demands.” 14 The group’s 2020 platform, called “Vision for Black Lives,” advocated for continued policy “a radical and sustainable redistribution of wealth,” extensive “reparations” policies, legalization of prostitution and all drugs, government-run health care including “full reproductive services” presumed to include government-funded abortions, the release of radical-left extremists currently wanted or incarcerated, and an end to school reform efforts including Teach for America. 15 16 17 18 19

The Movement for Black Lives Action Fund (M4BL Action) is the lobbying and electoral-action arm of M4BL. Founded in 2017, M4BL Action is a project of Tides Advocacy, a left-of-center advocacy group that funds several -left-wing social projects. 7 20

Leadership

Jessica Byrd is a co-founder and co-director of the Electoral Justice Project. She is also the founder of Three Point Strategies, which provides a home for electoral strategy that advocates left-wing policies and perspectives on racial justice. Jessica has worked on campaigns in 43 states. 21 22

Rukia Lumumba is co-director of the Electoral Justice Project. Lumumba is also founder of the People’s Advocacy Institute, which advances left-wing alternatives to incarceration in Mississippi. 23 Following the second election of President Donald Trump in November 2024, Lumumba was a featured speaker during left-wing advocacy group Race Forward’s webinar event entitled, “#RaceAnd the Way Forward: Racial Justice After the 2024 Election” which sought to form a strategy for racial equity during Trump’s second administration. 23 The webinar claimed to discuss the “next steps for the racial justice movement” following the 2024 elections. 23 Other speakers included Glenn Harris, the president of Race Forward; and Rinku Sen, the former president of Race Forward and executive director of Narrative Initiative, a project of the left-of-center nonprofit New Venture Fund. 23 24

Finances

As a fiscally sponsored project of the Movement for Black Lives which is a fiscally sponsored project of the Common Counsel Foundation, the Electoral Justice Project does not file its own tax returns. However, M4BL’s former fiscal sponsor, the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), reported $30,666,918 in grants paid to M4BL from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021. 25

References

  1. “Home.” Electoral Justice Project. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://electoraljusticeproject.org/
  2. “The Electoral Justice Project (project of M4BL at Common Counsel Foundation).” LIBRA Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://www.thelibrafoundation.org/grantee-partners/the-electoral-justice-voter-fund
  3. Barber, Rebekah. “How the Movement for Black Lives Is Engaging with Electoral Politics: A Conversation with Rukia Lumumba.” Nonprofit Quartely. November 4, 2024. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/how-the-movement-for-black-lives-is-engaging-with-electoral-politics-a-conversation-with-rukia-lumumba/
  4. “Electoral Justice League.” Electoral Justice Project. Accessed November 24, 2024.  https://electoraljusticeproject.org/electoral-justice-league/
  5. “Black Caucus Project.” Electoral Justice Project. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://electoraljusticeproject.org/black-caucus-project/
  6. “Black National Convention.” Electoral Justice Project. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://electoraljusticeproject.org/black-national-convention/
  7. “Home.” M4BL. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://m4blaction.org/
  8. “Black Lives Matter & the BREATHE Act.” American Principles Project. January 2021. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://americanprinciplesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/APP-BLM-paper_web.pdf
  9. “The BREATHE Act’s Second Anniversary: What Becomes Possible When We Invest in Care.” Essie Justice Group. July 2022. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://essiejusticegroup.org/2022/07/the-breathe-act/
  10. Fisher, Justine. “The DNC faces pressure to adopt the BREATHE Act.” LA Times – High School Insider. July 31, 2020. https://highschool.latimes.com/la-canada-high-school/the-dnc-faces-pressure-to-adopt-the-breathe-act/
  11. “Announcing the WFP Justice Fund.” Working Families Party. July 13, 2020. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://workingfamilies.org/2020/07/announcing-the-wfp-justice-fund/
  12. “Movement for Black Lives.” Official Website Homepage. Accessed January 27, 2021. Available at: https://m4bl.org/
  13. “Movement for Black Lives.” Official Website Homepage. Archived from the original January 4, 2021. Accessed January 7, 2025. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20210104231715/https://m4bl.org/
  14. French, David. “Black Lives Matter Keeps Getting More Radical – Will the Media Care?” National Review. National Review, August 9, 2016. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/08/black-lives-matter-media-left-radical/.
  15. “ECONOMIC JUSTICE.” M4BL. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/economic-justic/.
  16. “REPARATIONS.” M4BL. 2020. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/reparations/.
  17. “INVEST-DIVEST.” M4BL. 2020. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/invest-divest/.
  18. “POLITICAL POWER.” M4BL. 2020. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/political-power/.
  19. “COMMUNITY CONTROL.” M4BL. 2020. https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/community-control/.
  20. Ludwig, Hayden. “A Cool $21 Billion for Politics—Courtesy of George Soros.” Capital Research Center. January 4, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2024.  https://capitalresearch.org/article/a-cool-21-billion-for-politics-courtesy-of-george-soros/
  21. Aguilera, Jasmine. “‘It’s the Work of Generations.’ How Years of Organizing and Demonstrations Laid the Groundwork for Recent Protests.” TIME. June 4, 2020. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://time.com/5847506/time-100-talks-black-lives-matter/
  22. “Jessica Byrd profile.” Electoral Justice Project. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://electoraljusticeproject.org/
  23. “#RaceAnd the Way Forward: Racial Justice After the 2024 Elections.” Eventbrite. November 13, 2024. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/raceand-the-way-forward-racial-justice-after-the-2024-elections-tickets-1054532628479
  24. “Our Team.” Narrative Initiative, Accessed November 24, 2024. https://www.narrativeinitiative.org/our-team
  25. “Alliance for Global Justice – 2020 and 2021 Federal 990 Forms.” ProPublica. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/522094677
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