Black History | Rosetta Thurman

28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Emmett Carson

February 5, 2010 by rosettathurman · Leave a Comment

Emmett D. Carson, PH.D.

Dr. Emmett Carson is the founding CEO and president of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

From the Silicon Valley Community Foundation website:

Hired in 2006 to establish a new, regional community foundation from the unprecedented merger of Peninsula Community Foundation and Community Foundation Silicon Valley, Emmett is responsible for providing the vision for one of the largest community foundations in the United States with assets of $1.7 billion.

Before coming to Silicon Valley, Emmett served as president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation for 12 years. During his tenure, the foundation received national recognition for its grantmaking in the areas of housing, immigration and education.

An inspiring public speaker, Emmett has devoted his career to being a catalyst for positive social change and has authored more than 100 works on philanthropy and social justice. He served as the first manager of the Ford Foundation’s worldwide grantmaking program on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector and his seminal work on African American giving and volunteering at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is widely seen as helping to spark broad public interest in ethnic philanthropy studies.

In addition to serving on numerous nonprofit boards, he has conducted workshops on endowment building for nongovernmental organizations in southern Africa and participated in international efforts to develop best practices within the field of philanthropy. He has received numerous awards, including honorary degrees from Indiana University, Morehouse College and The National Hispanic University.

A native of Chicago, Emmett received both his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in public and international affairs from Princeton University and his bachelor’s degree in economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from Morehouse College. He is married to Jacqueline Copeland-Carson, Ph.D.

Photo credit: Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Filed Under: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African Americans, Leaders of Color, Philanthropy · Tagged With: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African American nonprofit leaders, Black History, Black nonprofit leaders, Emmett Carson, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: W.E.B. Du Bois

February 2, 2010 by rosettathurman · 2 Comments

W.E.B. Du Bois with delegates from the Junior NAACP, Cleveland, 1929

W.E.B. Du Bois with delegates from the Junior NAACP, Cleveland, 1929

W.E.B. Du Bois is probably best known as a scholar and author, but he was also one of the founding board members of the NAACP.

From the W.E.B. Du Bois Library at UMass Amherst:

At a time when Booker T. Washington counseled acceptance of the social order, [W.E.B.] Du Bois sounded a call to arms and with the founding of the Niagara Movement and later the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People entered a new phase of his life. He became an impassioned champion of direct assault on the legal, political, and economic system that thrived on the exploitation of the poor and the powerless.

The Niagara Movement emerged out of years of struggle against racial oppression in the United States and frustration with the slow pace of change on the one hand and the moderate, accommodationist policies of Booker T. Washington on the other. In February 1905, W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter helped call together an all-black “national strategy board” to chart a new and more radical course toward social and racial justice. Inviting fifty nine like-minded intellectuals and activists to a conference on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls in July 1905, twenty nine of whom attended, they established the Niagara Movement, an early and strident voice for equality.

From the outset, the Niagara Movement defined itself against both racial oppression and Washingtonian conciliation, demanding immediate freedom of speech and press, full suffrage, the “abolition of all caste distinctions based simply on race and color,” a “recognition of the principal of human brotherhood as a practical present creed,” and a belief in the dignity of labor. Their demands were simple, but radical for America in 1905: “We want to pull down nothing but we don’t propose to be pulled down. We are not ‘knockers’ save at the Door of Liberty & Opportunity. We are ‘out after the Stuff’ but that ’stuff’ includes education, decent travel, civil rights, & ballots. . .”

With Du Bois as General Secretary, the Movement grew rapidly, establishing chapters in twenty one states by mid-September and reaching 170 members by year’s end. Symbolically, they selected Harper’s Ferry, W.Va. — the site of John Brown’s raid — for their second annual conference in 1906, and they met subsequently in Boston, Oberlin, and Sea Isle City, N.J. Through its committees and branches, the Movement organized against segregation in travel and education and worked to secure voting rights and civic equality.

Weak finances and internal dissension, however, increasingly hampered the effectiveness of the organization. After a bitter feud within its Massachusetts branch and continuing conflict with Washington, the momentum of the Movement slowed and by 1910, it was disbanded altogether. Their work, however, was not abandoned. Du Bois and most of the original members were instrumental in the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909, a less radical movement that nevertheless shared the same basic goals.

More history of W.E.B. Du Bois’ involvement in the NAACP:

1905-1909 Founder and General Secretary of The Niagara Movement.

1910-1934 Director of Publicity and Research, Member Board of Directors, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

1910-1934 Founder and Editor of The Crisis, monthly magazine of the NAACP.

1920 Receives the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP.

1934 Resigns from the NAACP.

1944-48 Returns to NAACP as Director of Publicity and Research.

1945 Attends founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco as representative of the NAACP.

Image credit: W.E.B. Du Bois Library at UMass Amherst

Filed Under: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African Americans, Leaders of Color · Tagged With: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African American nonprofit leaders, African Americans, Black History, black history month, Black nonprofit leaders, Leaders of Color, NAACP, W.E.B. Du Bois

28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

February 1, 2010 by rosettathurman · 3 Comments

Everyone knows that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement. What many people don’t know is that he was also a nonprofit CEO and board member.

From the King Center:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. The movements and marches he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American life through his courage and selfless devotion. This devotion gave direction to thirteen years of civil rights activities. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Dr. King’s concept of “somebodiness,” which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave black and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.

Dr. King was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was elected President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization that was responsible for the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott from 1955 to 1956 (381 days). He was arrested thirty times for his participation in civil rights activities. He was a founder and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1957 to 1968. He was also Vice President of the National Sunday School and Baptist Teaching Union Congress of the National Baptist Convention. He was a member of several national and local boards of directors and served on the boards of trustees of numerous institutions and agencies. Dr. King was elected to membership in several learned societies including the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Image credit: Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Filed Under: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African Americans, Leaders of Color, Leading by Faith · Tagged With: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African American nonprofit leaders, African Americans, Black History, black history month, Leaders of Color, Martin Luther King Jr, Southern Christian Leadership Conference

28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders

February 1, 2010 by rosettathurman · 4 Comments

come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

- Lucille Clifton, “won’t you celebrate with me”

I love Black History Month. If you don’t know the story of how Black History Month came about, I’ll give you about 60 seconds to go read about it and then come right back. I love Black History Month because it gives everyone a dedicated time of year to reflect on the positive contributions that Black people have made over the years. I love Black History Month because it makes me think about how proud I am of my people and how far we’ve come all the way from being oppressed by that “peculiar institution” called slavery in this place called America.

I also love Black History Month because it reminds me of how far we still have to go in this country in terms of race relations and giving everyone a fair chance to take part in the “American Dream.” How far we still have to go before Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of social justice and economic opportunity for everyone will be realized. Fortunately, there are countless leaders out there who are continuing to address so many aspects of social change.

This month (inspired by Wayne Sutton), I’ll be highlighting 28 Black nonprofit leaders who have done or are doing their part to make our world a bit better, a bit more hopeful for the generations that will come. No original interviews, just photos; bios; videos and links to their amazing work. Every day, I’ll showcase a different leader. I hope you’ll tune in and share this series with your colleagues!

Photo credit: bermy onionpatch

In Search of Community, Black History and Dr. Dorothy Height

February 4, 2009 by rosetta · Leave a Comment

I just moved from Laurel, Maryland to Southwest Washington, DC. It’s a great time to live in the city. I was blocks away from President Obama’s Inauguration and now I’m 15 minutes from my office downtown. And for the first time in my life, I decided to join my local neighborhood association. Something stirred deep within me that day on the Capitol listening to our new President asking us to take responsibility for each other. It made me think about what it means to be part of “the community.” I’ve moved around a lot in my life due to my stepdad being in the military and attending several different colleges. And in the five years I’ve lived in the Washington, DC area, I’ve moved every year to a different locale in Maryland or Virginia, searching for a place that “fit”. But now that I live in the city, something has definitely changed for me. This is the city I’ve always worked, played, and volunteered in. And I feel like I’ve come home.

As our country spins in the turmoil of a struggling economy, senseless wars, and extreme poverty, I think we’re all looking for something to hold on to. A place that we can call our own and a community we can make a difference in. Even while the economy means layoffs for so many, Generations X and Y still seek work to do that is meaningful for us. We don’t want to come to work just to get a paycheck, we want to be a part of social change. We believe in “Yes, we can” and seek opportunities to act on the optimism of the Obama campaign. But Trabian Shorters reminds us not to confuse wage-making [in a nonprofit] with changemaking. As you seek ways to serve your community, it’s really not enough to simply land a job at a nonprofit organization. You’ve got to also take personal action and be an advocate to effect the social change you seek beyond the fundraising, communications, program delivery, or whatever it is that you do on a day-to-day basis. I learned that, and a lot more from Dr. Dorothy Height last week.

My neighborhood association invited Dr. Dorothy Height, Chair and President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women to talk about her life & career as a kick off to Black History Month. I’d never heard Dorothy Height speak before that night. It was absolutely amazing to be in her presence. Dr. Height led the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, fighting for equality for women and people of color. And she addressed our neighborhood association as her “neighbors” because she lives in Southwest DC, too. She talked about what it meant to have courage as a Black woman during the Civil Rights movement working with Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney H. Young, John Lewis, etc. She found her purpose early in life & worked tirelessly in pursuit of it, becoming a vital part of the movement at the age of 25. She talked about meeting Martin Luther King. Jr. when he was a teenager trying to decide whether he would study law, medicine, or theology and thinking what a remarkable young man he was. Then to see his short rise to leadership just 10 years later.

Someone asked what advice she had for young people. She said not to go through life trying to figure out what to do, but who you want to be. When asked how she wanted to be remembered, she said simply, “as someone who lived a life of purpose and never gave up.”

For the first time, I understood why it is that older generations get so frustrated with the work ethic of Generations X & Y. So many of my peers talk about our career goals to become a nonprofit CEO, but don’t talk about how we want to serve a particular cause. There’s nothing more powerful than sitting across from Dr. Height, a 96 year old woman who’s given her entire life to change the world and made such an incredible impact through her leadership. Younger generations have the education & the opportunity, but we definitely have to find ways to stay connected to our life’s purpose. It’s not really about aspiring to some bigshot leadership position at the top of a hierarchy, but challenging ourselves to lead from our values and purpose to make a difference.

I’m so grateful to be on this incredible journey to become who I’m meant to be. Thank you Dr. Dorothy Height for giving me a little more wisdom to take with me.

Filed Under: African Americans, Leaders of Color, Next Generation Leadership · Tagged With: Black History, Leaders of Color, Next Generation of Nonprofit Leaders