Abdullah’s selection as vice president marks the primary all-black presidential candidate in U.S. history.

Presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West selected activist, community organizer and professor Melina Abdullah as his vice president in his bid for the White House. This is the primary black-only presidential term in US history.

West, who’s running as an independent, announced his running mate on Tavis Smiley’s KBLA radio show on Wednesday.

“I desired to run with someone who would make Fanny Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. smile. from the grave,” West said. “Put a smile on their faces from the grave, and that’s the highest standard. As you know, this is not the typical standard of a garden variety politician.

In a campaign statement shortly after the on-air announcement, West described Abdullah as “a fierce and tireless advocate for truth, justice and transformational change.

“Her unique Black analysis and testimony helps us confront our crumbling era of empire, white supremacy and patriarchy,” he added. “I look forward to working with her as we strengthen our commitment to our campaign for truth, justice and love!”

Abdullah, founder of Black Lives Matter Grassroots and the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, said in a statement ahead of the election that she felt “deeply honored and humbled” to be West’s vice presidential running mate.

“This campaign offers a true vision of a world that opposes oppressive forces and adheres to the universal principles of truth, justice and love,” said Abdullah, who is a professor of Pan-African studies at California State University, Los Angeles.

“Working shoulder to shoulder with justice-loving people around the world, we are reinventing the world and working to build a world that chooses goodwill over greed, courage over cowardice, and liberation over exploitation,” she added. “Together, we are igniting a movement that aims not only to dismantle harmful systems, but also to establish solid foundations for a just, caring and free world.”

Abdullah’s entry into the presidential field could shake up the race as both the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, seek to activate black voters. Her experience as an activist and organizer on issues such as police reform and broader racial justice could serve as an asset to the Western campaign, which is currently working to get her on the ballot in states across the country.

According to PolicyWest Abdullah’s announcement as his vice presidential candidate now gives him the opportunity to start collecting petition signatures to get on the ballot in about 20 more states.

In a statement provided to theGrio, Aimee Allison, founder of She The People, said Abdullah’s inclusion in the presidential contest “signals a growing effort to create political tools to construct an agenda that fully serves Black America and each community looking for dignity and dignity equality.”

She added: “I have no doubt that many Black people who go to the polls will be delighted to have the opportunity to be elected this year, based on values ​​and achievements.”

During a joint radio interview with Smiley, Abdullah said her candidacy brings an “elevated level” to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Asked if her presence on the ground brings “baggage” to the campaign, Abdullah replied that she sees her work and experience as something that will “feed” West-Abdullah’s mandate.

Abdullah happens to have several things in common with Vice President Kamala Harris, as both candidates are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., graduates of Howard University, and California residents. However, Abdullah told Smiley, “That’s just about all now we have in common.”

She said West-Abdullah’s mandate offers “one other alternative” to young and black voters who are particularly outraged by the Biden-Harris administration’s foreign policy stance on Israel’s war in Gaza.

“They are not politically affiliated with these people,” she said. “What we offer is a choice that says we can move forward with a vision that says we want to liberate Palestine. We can move forward with a vision that says we want social services in our communities, not police.”

While Abdullah may not yet have national fame, she is well known in the activist community, especially in the Los Angeles and Bay areas. She also made headlines when she filed a civil fraud lawsuit against the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the national organization representing official chapters across the country, following the resignation of its co-founder and executive director Patrisse Cullors.

Abdullah accused the national organization of siphoning off millions of dollars based on the work of Black Lives Matter Grassroots, Inc. However, in 2023, a judge dismissed the case, siding with the defendants that the plaintiffs failed to prove they were entitled to the funds raised or that the money was misused. Abdullah was also ordered to pay more than $100,000 in legal fees to the defendant in the case, BLM Global Network board member Shalomyah Bowers.

Abdullah said she was “stunned and horrified” by the ruling and vowed to continue the work of the broader Black Lives Matter movement.

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