Who founded blexit and what are the group's stated goals?
Executive summary
BLEXIT traces to two different origins: an original grassroots “Blexit” founded after Philando Castile’s 2016 killing by Me’Lea Connelly that promoted Black economic independence [1] [2], and a separate conservative organization and nonprofit widely associated with Candace Owens and co‑founder Brandon Tatum that launched publicly in 2018–2019 to urge Black Americans away from the Democratic Party and promote conservative values [3] [4] [5]. The Owens/Tatum BLEXIT bills itself as a minority-focused, education-and-outreach nonprofit “powered by” Turning Point USA with goals framed around rejecting a “victimhood mentality,” promoting entrepreneurship and personal responsibility, and recruiting Black voters to conservative causes [6] [7] [8].
1. Two “Blexits,” two founders — why the confusion
Reporting shows the name “Blexit” was coined by Me’Lea Connelly in 2016 for a grassroots movement focused on Black economic independence and boycotts after the Philando Castile shooting; Connelly later protested use of the name by others and threatened legal action [1] [2]. Separately, conservative commentator Candace Owens—with Brandon Tatum credited as a co‑founder of the BLEXIT Foundation—launched a national conservative campaign starting in 2018–2019 that appropriated the Blexit brand as an effort to shift Black voters away from the Democratic Party [3] [4] [5]. Sources explicitly document both origins and the resulting disputes [2] [1].
2. Who the Owens/Tatum group says it is and who funds it
The organization associated with Candace Owens markets itself as a 501(c) non‑profit “powered by Turning Point USA,” describing mission language about advancing urban and minority communities, strengthening families, and “empowering” minorities to “embrace faith, family, and freedom” through events and educational initiatives [6] [7]. Independent reporting and watchdog pieces also document sizable donations from conservative foundations and wealthy donors to the Owens‑led operation, and critics say funding ties shape its conservative policy priorities [9].
3. Stated goals: exit from “victimhood,” entrepreneurship, and political realignment
Public materials and news coverage uniformly show the Owens/Tatum BLEXIT emphasizes three linked goals: urging Black Americans to reject what it calls a “victimhood mentality,” promoting self‑reliance and free‑market entrepreneurship as solutions to poverty, and persuading Black voters to reconsider loyalty to the Democratic Party [8] [6] [4]. Tour language such as “Educate to Liberate” and messaging about “sparking powerful conversations” on HBCU campuses reflect those stated aims [10] [5].
4. Activities: campus tours, events, and a contested public presence
Since at least 2023–2025 the Owens/Tatum BLEXIT has conducted “Educate to Liberate” tours aimed at HBCU homecomings and organized live events and outreach through TPUSA’s infrastructure. These activities prompted pushback from several universities that said representatives showed up without permits or were removed, and from critics who view the tours as recruitment for a partisan conservative agenda [5] [8] [11].
5. Critics’ framing and the dispute over the brand
Critics—ranging from The Grio and Ebony to the original Me’Lea Connelly group—frame Owens’ BLEXIT as political provocation that minimizes systemic racism, traffics in conservative talking points, and borrows a grassroots name without permission [12] [13] [2]. Reporting documents Connelly’s public objection and threat of legal action, signaling an explicit dispute between a Black‑led economic‑independence movement and a media‑driven conservative initiative [2] [1].
6. What sources agree on — and what they don’t say
Sources agree there are two distinct origin stories for “Blexit,” that Candace Owens and Brandon Tatum co‑founded the BLEXIT Foundation tied to Turning Point USA, and that the Owens/Tatum group’s public goals center on rejecting “victimhood,” promoting entrepreneurship, and shifting political alignment [3] [4] [6] [5]. Available sources do not mention an authoritative settlement or legal resolution fully resolving the name dispute beyond public threats and statements [2].
7. Why this matters for readers evaluating claims
Understanding BLEXIT requires distinguishing the original Me’Lea Connelly economic‑independence movement from the Owens/Tatum political outreach operation; conflating them erases the original grassroots intent and can mislead about who speaks for “Blexit.” Reporters and critics cite funding, campus tactics, and messaging as evidence the Owens/Tatum effort is a conservative political project rather than a nonpartisan economic boycott movement [9] [5] [11].
If you want, I can compile a short timeline of key events (2016 coinage by Connelly; 2018–19 Owens/Tatum launch; 2023 TPUSA partnership; 2025 HBCU tours and campus pushback) with direct source citations.