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In 2024, it seems grifting season is always in full effect. There are few others who exemplify this rule better than Shaun King, the Rachel Dolezal of the Black Lives Matter movement. The activist, who is also known as “Talcum X,” has become known for conning well-meaning people who donate to him believing he is doing something to help the black community, despite his obvious lack of melanin.
King, also known as “Martin Luther Cream,” has raised eyebrows with what appears to be a brand spanking new grift: Converting to Islam and then launching a lucrative speaking tour to raise money. That’s right, folks. Just when you thought Ramadan was about fasting, prayer, and reflection, this guy introduces the concept of $1,000 VIP tickets to this religious tradition.
However, it appears that at least some have caught on to King’s grift. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of Minneapolis has canceled an event at which the activist, also known as Fraudrick Douglass, was slated to give a speech. After a backlash following the announcement that King would be speaking, the group noted that it was rescinding its invitation.
“We have made the decision to not have Shaun King as the keynote speaker for our upcoming annual fundraising dinner,” the organization posted on X, formerly Twitter. “This has become a distraction from the sole purpose of our event—to support the work of protecting and advancing the civil liberties of Muslims in Minnesota, especially in these challenging times.”
We have heard concerns expressed—directly and indirectly—by our community regarding Shaun King being the keynote at your Annual Iftar Fundraiser. We have made the decision to not have Shaun King as the keynote speaker for our upcoming annual fundraising dinner. pic.twitter.com/iqn7nT7riO
— CAIR MN (@CAIRMN) March 21, 2024
Others on social media reacted to the news of King’s so-called conversion and his scheduled appearance in Minneapolis.
But what’s the problem? If King, also known as Thurgood Marshmallow, genuinely converted to Islam and seeks to advocate for social justice, why wouldn’t CAIR welcome him with open arms—and wallets?
The problem is King’s history of grifty behavior. From his days as a pastor to his involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement, controversy has followed him wherever he goes. It was revealed in 2022 that the activist, also known as “WEB DeFraud,” raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars during the George Floyd protests despite not having done anything to bring about police reform.
Shaun King’s nonprofit amassed millions of dollars in donations in the months following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, while its signature project to review and redress prosecutorial injustices in three major U.S. cities floundered—and while King himself and his associates raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation.
Representatives of the Grassroots Law Project produced the 2020 financial reports for the King-led outfit in response to questions from The Daily Beast. These materials have yet to appear in any public records database, and the Internal Revenue Service did not respond to queries about why the King nonprofit did not show up in its online files. But the Grassroots Law Project’s lawyers noted the agency had suffered internal delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tax documents reveal that during the first year of its existence, a period that coincided with the largest racial justice protests in the nation’s history, the organization collected more than $6.67 million. Further, Federal Election Commission records also show that two political action committees tied to the controversial activist have poured close to half a million dollars into the organization.
The single largest expenditure the Grassroots Law Project made in its first year was $2,654,434, which the disclosures only state went “to bridge the gap between grassroots organizing and legal expertise to reform the American justice system.”
In 2019, author Juwan J. Holmes warned his fellow activists against working with Shaun King, also known as “Scamuel L. Jackson,” claiming that his “entire track record has a large history of questionable actions and alleged lies.”
He has been accused of lying about his very identity and upbringing as a biracial man and subsequent assault due to his race in Kentucky. Such as with the Courageous Church in 2010 and HopeMob.org in 2012, his fundraising efforts and income information has been questioned by the people he allegedly was raising money for, and no one can seem to find the exact amounts raised or given by Shaun or his associated entities. He has published — intentionally or not, even if one is due to the incompetence of an editor — multiple false writings. Activists have claimed he has used their ideas and writings, promising to support them, just to claim credit for them himself after publishing similar articles or stories.
Given his history, there are tons of valid reasons to believe that his current tour is nothing more than another money grab. King, also known as “Snow J. Simpson,” claims all of the proceeds will be donated to support Palestinian causes. However, nothing about this man’s past suggests that residents in Gaza will see a single dime.
Hopefully, there are enough people who are hip to King’s game—and they will avoid falling for King’s machinations.
