Charles W. Thomas, photographer of Giving Back recently reached out to a respected and highly accomplished artist in the field of photography and asked that she preview our book and provide advance commentary. Given the range of demands on her schedule, we are honored that she dedicated time to read our book. And given her credentials as a photographic historian and expertise as a curator of photography, we are nourished by what she has written . . .

“Giving Back looks poignantly at the notion of giving. The meticulously edited narrative enlightens us about the idea of caring and sharing communities. From this book, one sees through Thomas’s photographs relationships marked by respect and honor. The text and photographs inform the reader about strength, in multiple perspectives.

“Through the rich photographs—which are full of spirit and beauty and enhanced by the framing of the subjects—we see Thomas’s respectful eye. Giving Back simply tells us that Black people care which is evidenced in the photographs and the narratives. This book is useful for anyone who is interested in philanthropy but also will be appreciated by people who have a love for portrait photography.

“Giving Back is a valuable resource and, in my view, will encourage others to reconsider what it means to give. 

It is a welcome addition to books promoting this field. I found the idea of the book stimulating, as it is a much-overlooked discussion. Fullwood and Thomas assembled a remarkable book that informs and honors. It enables us to imagine through the quotes, as the photographs illuminate and engage us about the pleasure of giving.
”


— Deborah Willis, Ph.D., author, historian, photographer, 2000 MacArthur genius award recipient and professor at New York University