Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan — Reunion of Felons
On this page
Entity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan (BCF) |
| Founded by | Alma Stallworth (former State Rep, 21 years) |
| Stated mission (IRS 990) | “to decrease usage of drugs and alcohol among youth” |
| Type | 501(c)(3) nonprofit |
The Board — A Reunion of Felons Verified
The Detroit Free Press (April 27, 2018) reported on the BCF board composition:
“The Black Caucus website lists state Sen. Virgil Smith and state Reps. Brian Banks and Bert Johnson as board members. None is still in the Legislature and all have felony convictions.”*
| Board Member | Conviction(s) | Role at BCF |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Banks | 9 convictions (6 felony) — fraud, forgery, U&P | Board Member |
| Keith Stallworth | Federal guilty plea (2003) — money laundering for a gang through a strip club | Managing Director |
| Virgil Smith | Felony assault — shot at ex-girlfriend’s car (2015) | Board Member |
| Bert Johnson | Federal bribery conviction (2022) — took bribes while State Senator | Board Member |
A foundation whose stated purpose was fighting drugs and alcohol among youth, managed by a man who laundered drug money, with a board that included four convicted felons.
Stallworth Family Control
| Person | BCF Role | Salary (2015, IRS 990) |
|---|---|---|
| Alma Stallworth | Founder | $18,000 |
| Keith “K.B.” Stallworth | Managing Director | — |
| Nicole Stallworth (Keith’s wife) | Executive Director | $47,294 |
| Thomas Stallworth III | Director | — |
The BCF was a family business disguised as a public interest foundation.
How BCF Connected Banks to the Stallworths
The BCF board is where Brian Banks and the Stallworth family met. This is the social infrastructure that led to:
- 2012 — Nicole Wells-Stallworth (Tommy’s wife) appointed to MacDowell Preparatory Academy board
- 2021 — MacDowell board, led by Wells-Stallworth, hires Brian Banks as superintendent
- 2022 — MDE investigates Banks for no credential; Wells-Stallworth loops in attorney; investigation killed in 2 hours 24 minutes
- 2023 — Free Press reports on Banks as principal; Wells-Stallworth publicly defends him
- 2026 — Misha Stallworth West (Tommy’s daughter) sits on DPSCD board that authorizes MacDowell’s charter
The pipeline: BCF board fellowship → family connection → school board appointment → superintendent hire → credential cover-up → charter authorization protection.
The Irony
A foundation created “to decrease usage of drugs and alcohol among youth” — managed by a man who pleaded guilty to laundering money from illegal activities (DOJ confirmed the money was “obtained through illegal activities” and he helped “a gang” launder it through his strip club).
The same foundation incubated the relationship that put a 9-time convicted felon in charge of educating children in Detroit — where 3% of his students can do math at grade level.
The exploitation of Detroit’s most vulnerable communities didn’t end with the crack trade. It put on a suit and moved into the school system.
Hiding Behind Racial Solidarity
The BCF’s institutional armor was racial solidarity. The Black Caucus brand carried the weight of decades of legitimate civil rights work in Michigan — work that Alma Stallworth contributed to over 21 years in the Legislature.
But solidarity has limits. When the foundation board becomes a reunion of felons, when the managing director is a federal money launderer, when the mission statement says “decrease drugs” while the leadership laundered drug money — the armor becomes a weapon against the very community it claims to serve.
This is the same pattern documented across the network: Judge Cylenthia Miller and Aliyah Sabree studied together at MSU Law, both from Detroit, both rising Black women in the judiciary. Their solidarity is real. But when it shields a convicted felon running a school at 3% math proficiency from accountability, it stops serving Black children and starts serving Black elites.
The children in MacDowell’s classrooms are overwhelmingly Black. The 3% math proficiency rate means 97% of them cannot do grade-level math. The racial solidarity that protects this outcome is not solidarity with them. It is solidarity among the adults who benefit from their silence.
Verify
- IRS Form 990 (2015): Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan
- Detroit Free Press (Apr 27, 2018): “Charity failing to turn Detroit squatters into homeowners” — BCF board composition, Keith Stallworth federal plea, BCF salaries
- DOJ Press Release (Mar 6, 2003): Keith Stallworth guilty plea
- MacDowell Board: macdowellprep.com/board-of-directors
All sources are federal records, IRS filings, and published news reports.