Robert F. Smith’s recent pledge to pay off the student loans of the class of 2019 at Morehouse College is part of a long history of black philanthropy. If you want to learn more about black philanthropy here are some resources that I use in my research and my course “Class in the Black Community:”
A Growing Tradition?: Examining the African American Family Foundation / Marybeth Gasman
A Hand Up: Black Philanthropy and Self-Help in America / Emmett D. Carson
“The Ambivalent Gift: The Diverse Giving Strategies of Black Philanthropists” / Jane Jones
“Black Philanthropy’s Past, Present, and Future” / Emmett D. Carson
Diversity and Philanthropy at African American Museums / Patricia A. Banks
Giving Black in Los Angeles / Ange-Marie Hancock
“High Culture, Black Culture: Strategic Assimilation and Cultural Steering in Museum Philanthropy” / Patricia A. Banks
“Money, Museums, and Memory: Cultural Patronage by Black Voluntary Associations” / Patricia A. Banks
“Promoting Diversity in Contemporary Black Philanthropy: Toward a New Conceptual Model” / Jacqueline Copeland-Carson
The Racial Wealth Gap: Origins and Implications for Philanthropy in the African American Community / Dalton Conley