It’s been a few months since we sent you an update about our GoFundMe-Darren Wilson campaign. In that time we’ve been in dialogue with the company and its lawyers, and here’s where we’re at:
In October, GoFundMe donated its profits from the hateful Darren Wilson fundraisers to the Ferguson-Florissant school district. This was one of our top-line asks: for GoFundMe to stop profiting from racially-motivated donors. This donation was an important step and would not have happened without the actions of 130,000 ColorOfChange members. Collectively, we spoke up and put pressure on the crowdfunding company that they could not ignore, including this billboard right outside their offices:
Moving forward, tech companies like GoFundMe know what the ColorOfChange community is capable of. And they know we’ll remain vigilant. Since the launch of our campaign, we haven’t seen anything like the Darren Wilson fundraisers on GoFundMe’s platform. If a similar fundraising drive does show up, the company knows that it will have to answer to us.
Our campaign targeting GoFundMe began when people started giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to Michael Brown’s killer, celebrating his death. We were disgusted and outraged. We know that these types of fundraising drives lower the social and financial costs of taking Black lives. They send the message that shooters will be supported in the aftermath of killing Black men and boys.
In 2015, we’ll continue our work combating the culture of hostility against Black folks that’s present across our country. Thank you for being part of it every step along the way.
Onwards!
—Arisha, Rashad, Matt, Bhavik, and the ColorOfChange team
Be a Seed for Change 
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