BLM LA co-founder and co-director, Melina Abdullah, has been announced as Cornel West’s VP candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
West announced the decision this morning on The Tavis Smiley Show.
West expressed his admiration for Abdullah’s dedication to championing the rights of poor and working people, emphasizing their shared commitments.
“I wanted to run with someone who would put a smile on the face of Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. from the grave,” West said on the show.
This combination represents West’s approach to reaching out to marginalized groups, especially Black and Muslim Americans. West’s choice of Abdullah, a Black Muslim woman with a background in Pan-African studies, may be seen as trying to expand the appeal of his campaign beyond conventional political lines.
However, some have noted concerns given that she once sued BLM. Her commitment to stopping state-sanctioned violence against Black people is in line with the campaign’s fundamental ideals, but it has drawn criticism from others who think she may be too radical.
West’s campaign has been a turbulent one: he’s changed political parties several times in the last year. He was set to run as a Democrat when he initially announced his candidacy in 2023 but later switched to the Green Party. In October, he announced he’d be running as an independent candidate and left the Green Party with much criticism.
On the talk show, Abdullah highlighted how Black Lives Matter would continue their tradition of not endorsing candidates. The grassroots organization has notably refrained from outwardly showing any support towards politicians.
However, Abdullah said she hopes to maintain her close ties with the organization and have them follow her campaign trail.