Raymond Howard, also known as Raymond G. Howard II, is a Black Lives Matter activist who has worked at New Impact Partners (NIP) and the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF). ¹

Howard is connected to controversies surrounding the BLMGNF’s operations and finances. He is also reportedly close to former BLMGNF executive director Patrisse Cullors, who has come under scrutiny for her management of the tens of millions of dollars given to BLMGNF, some of which was reportedly paid to other groups which she herself or her associates were affiliated with, including NIP. ^{2 3}

After being asked to comment on his relationship with the BLMGNF and NIP, Washington Examiner reported that Howard and NIP removed or altered information appearing to connect Howard, NIP, and BLMGNF from websites and Howard’s LinkedIn page. ⁴

Career

After earning a degree in finance and a master’s in business management from the University of Dayton, Raymond Howard began his career as a financial services associate at Prudential Financial in 2005. The following year, he became a licensed financial consultant at National City Bank. In 2007, Howard became an assistant manager at U.S. Bank. In 2009, Howard joined JPMorgan Chase as an investment representative. He left the position in 2013. ⁵

In 2017, Howard became the finance and operations manager at New Impact Partners, a left-progressive advocacy consulting firm co-owned by his sister, Danielle Edwards. ^{6 7}

At some point, Howard became a board member of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF). In 2020, he became the group’s director of operations and special projects. ^{8 9}

Black Lives Matter Financial Controversy

Raymond Howard is an associate of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, and has praised her publicly on Facebook. ¹⁰ Cullors resigned her position as executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) in May 2021 amid scrutiny over her reported $3.2 million in private real estate purchases, though BLMGNF denied that any charitable funds were used to purchase the properties. ¹¹

Available filings indicate that Howard is a board member of the BLMGNF, which Cullors previously led and which sits at the center of controversies related to its lack of publicly apparent leadership and its failure to timely file annual state nonprofit registrations, despite having raised tens of millions of dollars in 2020.. BLMGNF is reportedly a client of NIP, but as of early 2022 it was unknown how much money had been passed between the two groups. ¹²

After the Washington Examiner questioned Howard about his role at BLMGNF and how much money NIP received from BLMGNF, Howard removed references to NIP and an apparent reference to BLMGNF from his LinkedIn page. NIP’s website removed a quote apparently attributed to Howard on behalf of BLMGNF. ¹³

As of February 2022, NIP’s personnel page is not functioning. ¹⁴

The LinkedIn page of Danielle Edwards, Howard’s sister, lists her as a “strategist” for the BLMGNF since May 2018 as of early 2022. ¹⁵

1. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM Accounting Gimmick Further Delays Disclosure of its $60M Bankroll.” Washington Examiner. February 16, 2022. Available at: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blm-accounting-gimmick-further-delays-disclosure-of-its-60m-bankroll
2. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s Millions Unaccounted For After Leaders Quietly Jumped Ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Available at: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship
3. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM Accounting Gimmick Further Delays Disclosure of its $60M Bankroll.” Washington Examiner. February 16, 2022. Available at: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blm-accounting-gimmick-further-delays-disclosure-of-its-60m-bankroll
4. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s millions unaccounted for after leaders quietly jumped ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship.
5. “Raymond G. Howard, II, MBA.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 1, 2022.. https://www.scribd.com/embeds/555334608/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-zXorQlbryrRylg4n4d1q
6. “Raymond G. Howard, II, MBA.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 1, 2022..  https://www.scribd.com/embeds/555334608/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-zXorQlbryrRylg4n4d1q
7. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s Millions Unaccounted For After Leaders Quietly Jumped Ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Available at: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship
8. “Raymond G. Howard, II, MBA.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.scribd.com/embeds/555334608/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-zXorQlbryrRylg4n4d1q.
9. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s millions unaccounted for after leaders quietly jumped ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship.
10. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s millions unaccounted for after leaders quietly jumped ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship.
11. ^[1] Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s millions unaccounted for after leaders quietly jumped ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship.
12. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s millions unaccounted for after leaders quietly jumped ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship.
13. Kerr, Andrew. “BLM’s millions unaccounted for after leaders quietly jumped ship.” Washington Examiner. January 27, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blms-millions-go-unaccounted-for-after-leaders-quietly-jump-ship
14. “Team.” New Impact Partners. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.newimpactpartners.co/team.
15. “Danielle Edwards.” LinkedIn. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellejhoward/.