BlackPAC is a left-of-center political action committee (PAC) that is influenced by concepts derived from critical race theory. In its words, it is dedicated to “fighting racism and white supremacy.” ¹ Among the largest funders of BlackPAC has been entities of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Adrianne Shropshire, BlackPAC’s founder and as of 2025 its executive director, said the organization was “incubated” by the SEIU. ²

Since its founding in 2016 to mid-2025, the group added more than 100,000 BlackPAC members and trained thousands of community leaders and organizers. ³

Background

BlackPAC is a political action committee that is influenced by concepts derived from critical race theory. In its words, it is dedicated to “fighting racism and white supremacy.” ¹ The group claims to be is pursuing a multiracial democracy “grounded in justice and equity.” ¹

As of 2025, BlackPAC founder Adrianne Shropshire was also its executive director. According to Shropshire, BlackPAC was “incubated” by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). ²

The group claims that it has engaged hundreds of thousands of voters and helped pass left-leaning policies around the nation. ⁴

BlackPAC argues that Black voters “are the core of the modern progressive coalition.” The organization claims to engage, mobilize, organize, and build political power in Black communities to expand democracy. The group says it educates, registers, and mobilizes Black voters. ⁵

Since its founding in 2016 through mid-2025, the group claimed that it had added more than 100,000 BlackPAC members and trained thousands of community leaders and organizers. ³

The organization encourages voters to vote their full ballots, including school boards, mayors, city councils, and sheriffs, as a means of growing Black political power from the local level up to the state and national level. ³

Policy and Strategies

BlackPAC says it has galvanized Black voters to the polls to elect governors, lieutenant governors, state attorneys general, U.S. Senators and House members, state legislators, and presidents. ³

BlackPAC has focused on politically competitive states such as North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin. ³

BlackPAC focuses on voting rights; stopping “environmental racism,” climate change, creating a fair economy, access to high-quality public schools, criminal justice and police accountability, and an equitable health-care system. ¹

Leadership

BlackPAC was founded by Adrianne Shropshire, who as of 2025 was its executive director. She began as a political activist as a student at the University of Southern California in the 1990s. After graduation, she interned for Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas (D). She spoke with both south Los Angeles residents and the Los Angeles Police Department about police brutality, economic issues and race. She then worked 10 years for Action for Grassroots Empowerment and Neighborhood Development Alternatives, a liberal group in Los Angeles that focuses on Black and Latino issues. Following that, she became the executive director of the New York chapter of Jobs With Justice. ²

In 2014, the SEIU paid Shropshire $150,000 for “support for political advocacy.” In 2016, SEIU paid Shropshire $100,000 for “political activities” and $21,634 for her consulting. According to Shropshire, BlackPAC was “incubated” by the SEIU. ²

Shropshire created BlackPAC in 2016 as President Barack Obama’s second term was concluding. ²

Funding

Among the largest funders of BlackPAC has been the Service Employees International Union’s Committee on Political Education and local and regional SEIU entities. ²

Other donors to BlackPAC have included Priorities USA Action, the top funders of which include Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and venture capitalist and Illinois Governor Jay Robert “J.B.” Pritzker (D); Senate Majority PAC, which funds Democratic U.S. Senate candidates and which receives a large portion of its funding from hedge fund owner Donald Sussman and billionaire businessmen George Soros and his son Alexander Soros; Women Vote!, a project of EMILY’s List; Majority Forward, aligned with Democratic activist lawyer Marc Elias; and Sixteen Thirty Fund, nonprofit managed by Arabella Advisors. ²

Common Cause, a left-of-center advocacy group, has criticized BlackPAC’s use of “dark money,” or donations that cannot be traced to a person. ²

1. “Our Mission.” Black PAC. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://blackpac.com/#about
2.  Beachum, Latisha. “A super PAC has raised millions to mobilize black voters. Does it matter that its funders are white?” Center for Public Integrity. March 12, 2018. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/a-super-pac-has-raised-millions-to-mobilize-black-voters-does-it-matter-that-its-funders-are-white/
3. “Our Impact.” BlackPAC. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://blackpac.com/#about
4. Daniels, Cheyanne M. “The Switch Up Election Series: BlackPAC director highlights ‘essential’ role of Black voters.” The Hill. July 22, 2024. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://thehill.com/homenews/race-politics/4782342-the-switch-up-blackpac-director-adrianne-shropshire-black-voters-essential-2024/
5. “BlackPAC.” LegiStorm. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.legistorm.com/organization/summary/174837/BlackPAC.html