Rain and clouds outside inevitably precipitate word clouds here. This week’s cloud is a distillation of recent reviews and media stories about Giving Back. Leave it to a cloud to make the book perfectly clear.
“Behind every cloud is another cloud.” — Judy Garland
Judy’s quip proves true here…here…here…and here!
Wordle.net
Here’s yesterday’s interview with Charles, me and host Frank Stasio on WUNC’s public radio program “The State of Things.” Please listen.
Photo credit: Charles W. Thomas, Jr.
“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning author
After one thousand, six hundred and twenty-one days, I can, at long last, announce the publication and arrival of Giving Back: A Tribute to African American Philanthropists—a new book that reframes portraits of philanthropy. Hallelujah!!!
Buy the book…and read more about Giving Back on these sites:
Valaida Fullwood (author), Charles W. Thomas Jr. (photographer) and Casajulie (cover and book designer)
Charles W. Thomas Jr., photographer
I just returned from an amazing weekend on St. Helena Island where the CIN Leadership Summit took place (more on that experience later). While participating in the Summit, I had a phone interview with Joi-Marie McKenzie of Loop21.com about my new book Giving Back.
New Book Celebrates Generations of African Americans Giving Back, author interview by Joi-Marie McKenzie, Loop21.com
More interviews, book reviews and commentary on Giving Back can be found here, here and here.
An interview about Giving Back posted on QCityMetro.com today. It’s my interview with Michaela Duckett, who frequently profiles authors on what is one of Charlotte’s most popular blogs. Among other things, Michaela reveals five things about me. Most of them were probably little-known facts and trivia…that is, until today.
AUTHOR’S SPOTLIGHT: Q&A with Valaida Fullwood
by Michaela L. Duckett, 28 September 2011
Charles W. Thomas Jr., photographer
Deeper discussions about philanthropy and more mindful giving are ongoing aims of the Giving Back Project. The book Giving Back, a centerpiece of the project, is designed to become a springboard for such conversation and strategic giving. Driving forces for NGAAP’s project are a desire to reclaim the root meaning of philanthropy—love of humankind—and a resolve to build bridges between “conventional” philanthropy and the centuries-old philanthropic traditions flourishing in Black communities, for the sake of every community.
Project photographer Charles Thomas shared with me that after a recent lecture on a college campus, the first question posed by a student was: “What is philanthropy?” That’s the central question we explore in Giving Back. Through inquiry, interviews and images, Charles and I engaged over 200 Black donors and asked such questions as: How do you define philanthropy? Juxtaposing photographs and narratives, Giving Back illuminates transcendent truths and elicits new thinking about philanthropy.
We look forward to connecting with schools, colleges and youth programs to engage students, educators and others around the content, themes and questions presented in Giving Back.
Foundation executive Dr. Ivye Allen commented on the promise Giving Back holds to become an educational tool that can enlighten readers and inspire greater giving.
“Giving Back is a must have book for all! It brings to life African American giving and highlights philanthropic acts that many of us perform daily without naming it ‘philanthropy.’ The combination of photographs and narrative effectively reframes the dialogue on philanthropy, particularly among the unsung heroes and heroines contributing to daily growth and prosperity in our communities.
“A must have book of our history and a great teaching toolkit!”
— Ivye L. Allen, Ph.D., president and CEO, Foundation for the Mid South
Please take a look at further commentary and book reviews on Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists.
Today, Charlotte ViewPoint posted a book review by Michael Solender on Giving Back. Below are excerpts, and the complete review can be found here.
“Giving Back is a Fullwood project several years in the making and documents the rich history and core values within the Black community of giving time, talent, and treasure to others. Fullwood partnered with photographer Charles W. Thomas Jr. to tell more than 60 stories through remarkable and lush imagery, interviews, and anecdotes.
“The book is a testament to the storied tradition of centuries-old customs that endure throughout the African Diaspora. Fullwood notes that during slavery and its aftermath in America, communities would have perished without the generosity, innovation, and sacrifices of their members. While rarely recognized as philanthropists, the members of these communities most certainly were just that. …
“Giving Back is a joyous exultation at the power of the human spirit. Few pleasures in life offer as much satisfaction as doing for others; this remarkable book celebrates the legacy of the legions within our community who discovered this succor in a significant and meaningful way.”
— Michael J. Solender, City Life Editor for Charlotte Viewpoint
Click, for further book reviews and commentary on Giving Back.
Rain falling steadily outside, I decided to post a word cloud. Yep, I’m at it again. Just like here...here…and here. The words of praise pouring in for Giving Back flood me with delight. — VF
Artful compilation of words from advance praise on Giving Back (Wordle.net)
Charles W. Thomas Jr, photographer
Giving Back illuminates traditions of giving within African American communities and highlights numerous historic organizations that exemplify Black philanthropy. One such organization is The Links, Incorporated. Links members Dr. Ruth Greene (The Crown Jewels Chapter) and Carlenia Ivory (The Charlotte Chapter) are featured in the book.
National President of The Links Margot James Copeland recently contributed this commentary on Giving Back and on her organization’s powerful legacy of giving back.
“In 2011, The Links, Incorporated celebrates 65 years of giving back to communities across the nation. Our founders believed that as educated and successful African American women, we should do whatever is necessary to serve those of African descent and assist in closing gaps in education and providing support for the underserved. We do this still today, through philanthropic as well as humanitarian services. As authors Fullwood and Thomas expressed in Giving Back, philanthropy has been the thread that held and continues to hold our communities together. The Links, Incorporated strives to become an even greater force, known everywhere for our philanthropic support. Our hope is by giving back, we will play an intricate role in enabling and influencing a positive future for an infinite number of generations. ”
— Margot James Copeland , National President , The Links, Incorporated and The Links Foundation, Incorporated
Valaida Fullwood (author), Charles W. Thomas Jr. (photographer) and Casajulie (book designer)
Book review by acclaimed book and film critic Kam Williams, excerpted from his blog.
“’To whom much is given, much is expected.’
This Biblical passage from the Gospel of Luke conveys a belief that I and many of my African American family and friends hold dear… We are acutely aware of what others have given up to pave the way and contribute to our successes. As a result, we share a sense of responsibility about honoring and sustaining that legacy…
While this cultural legacy of giving back prevails today, it is often overlooked by mainstream society and rarely celebrated within the African American community… Media coverage and reports of prominent philanthropic leaders and institutions advance a false view which places African Americans only on the demand side, not the supply side of philanthropy.
The truth of the matter: African Americans give 8.6% of their discretionary income to charity—more than any other racial group in America.” — Excerpted from the Preface (pgs. xviii-xix)
Cultivated by ancestors in Africa for ages, black folks’ spirit of philanthropy was ingrained way before their arrival on these shores. During the slave days, it was evident in the altruism of fugitive Harriet Tubman who risked recapture to help others in chains find their way to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Such behavior has basically been the rule, rather than the exception, for a people whose very survival has often depended on selfless displays of compassion towards the least of our brethren. For, as mentor Michael Sales points out, “What’s most remarkable is that even as we help those who are at risk, we ourselves are often at risk at the same time.”
This attitude persists despite the still precarious position of those African-Americans living above the subsistence level who have managed to extricate themselves from poverty. Giving Back is an uplifting opus celebrating the generosity of charitably-inclined blacks, a touching tribute told in portraits, proverbs, anecdotes and micro-biographies.
The book is the brainchild of idea whisperer Valaida Fullwood who collaborated with award-winning photographer Charles W. Thomas, Jr. to create a visually-captivating, coffee table book chock full of intimate homages to unsung heroes as well as inspirational sayings like the sage notion courtesy of Frederick Douglass that “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
An overdue salute to an underappreciated segment of African-American society.
The Sly Fox Film Reviews publishes the content of film critic Kam Williams. Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes. More at: www.kamwilliams.com
Advance commentary on Giving Back can be found here.
valaida 