Black History Month

“Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

This is a great statement about philanthropy from Dr. King. In a simple way it reminds us of the importance of philanthropy ~ to give a voice to those who are marginalized from society.

2020 and 2021 gave attention to many communities facing various disparities in society today. Issues including social injustices, food insecurity, and age & gender discrimination.

There are many reasons one enters the field of philanthropy – many times the reason is personal – we are affected by a situation where we benefited from philanthropy or we may want to challenge the status quo and be creative and innovative. At it’s core philanthropy is meant to improve society for the better.

Although many of us do not have the resources to be great philanthropists like Madame CJ Walker and Russell Simmons

Dr. King’s quote reminds us that being a donor means that we must not overlook our reason for being philanthropic. Why does one make a monthly donation of cereal to their local food pantry or donate to the local hospital to help support the building of a new wing.

No level of philanthropy is too small – working together we can address the various reasons we may be inclined to be generous to our society.