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February 3, 2021 By Helen Brown Leave a Comment

Honoring Black History Month

Illustration by Daniell Langford

It’s tricky for a white woman to write about Black History Month because I don’t want to come off as being more knowledgeable than I am or be accidentally disrespectful. But it’s important to me that I honor this month and show up as the ally I want to be, so here I am, sharing what I’ve found with you.

I have long thought of myself as a person who rejects racism, but I’m becoming a little better schooled in my own accidental disrespect. I got started a little early on Black History Month by reading the bestseller The Black Friend; On Being A Better White Person by Frederick Joseph last month. Quite a few parts of the book were revelations to me, and I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough.

I learned after reading it that it was written with a young adult reader in mind, but, except for some musical references that flew over my head, I’d say that its message resonates clearly to all ages.

It was certainly an I-can’t-put-it-down book, and I read it in a weekend. I saw my well-intentioned (yet misguided) self quite a few times in its pages; for example, “I don’t see color” is a phrase I will never think, much less say, ever again.

It’s not enough to just be allies or non-racist ourselves

Another thing I learned is that it’s not enough not to be racist (although it’s a pretty great start). We need to actively and proactively chip away at all of the racism we start to recognize when we educate ourselves through generous books like Joseph’s, and call out racist behavior when we see it. I’m incredibly grateful that Joseph was willing to be a guide, and that imprint Candlewick Press saw value in this endeavor.

I’m moving on next to How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi which I have no doubt will be another useful guide on my journey.

What are nonprofits doing?

How wonderful it is that we work in a sector whose sole focus is to lift people up and make our world a better, more just place! We do our own work on the individual level, this month and hopefully for each month afterwards, to understand our own biases and break them down. We do it on an institutional level, too, because in my research personally and for this article I found that there are so many organizations in the nonprofit sector sharing knowledge and/or providing a stage for the arts and culture during Black History Month! It’s impossible to name them all, but I wanted to feature a few that I thought you might want to visit virtually with me.

Fascinating Finds in America’s Attic

For example, speaking of Ibram Kendi, thanks to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), this past Tuesday I watched a wonderful celebration of the new book that he and Dr. Keisha Blain edited called 400 Souls; a community history of African America 1619-2019. What an amazing concept: they asked 90 contributors to provide a work each describing a five-year period between 1619 and 2019. Through essays, short stories, personal histories, and poetry each contributor brings each half-decade to life.

In Tuesday evening’s discussion, four of the contributors were featured with Kendi and Blain to discuss the book. I was riveted by Pulitzer-Prize winning professor Annette Gordon-Reed’s discussion of her contribution about Sally Hemings: enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, Hemings was taken by Jefferson to Paris when the French Revolution broke out. As she heard cries of freedom, equality, and liberty shouted in the streets, Hemings weighed the awful choice of staying in Paris as a free woman – and leaving behind the rest of her family enslaved in Virginia.

You can listen to the recording of this wonderfully entertaining evening discussion here. I highly recommend it. (and there’s another book that’s going on my to-read list!)

As you can imagine, the NMAAHC will be sponsoring a wide range of virtual events this month for all ages, too. I’ll be back again with them later this month because my eyes tracked directly to the word “probate” on their events page. If you’re someone who has a side hustle or interest in genealogy, certified genealogical lecturer LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson will share her knowledge on using probate records to find enslaved ancestors and those who were slave holders in this free lecture.

The National Portrait Gallery is partnering with other Smithsonian museums to discuss how historical objects from their respective collections speak to today’s social justice issues. This month their focus is on race and medicine, and in this free event (among several works of art and artifacts) they’ll highlight a portrait of Charles R. Drew, a renowned African American surgeon and researcher in the field of blood transfusions who developed large-scale blood banks for use during World War II.

What on Earth would we do without public media?

There is a host of great media highlighting Black innovators, entertainers, and leaders, and as you’d expect PBS is a great place to find them. Their Black History Month-dedicated web page features a ton of limited series, films, and documentaries for free. And it’s not just non-fiction, either: as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, Masterpiece is featuring The Long Song, a 3-part mini-series based on the award-winning novel by Andrea Levy about the end of slavery in Jamaica.

If you’re a member of your local PBS station, there’s even more on their site and available through Passport, the PBS streaming service that’s free to members (I’m sorry, I know that sounded like an ad, but I’ve been a PBS fangirl since I was six. Maybe younger. I can’t help myself.)

Also, set your reminders and tune into the NPR “Tiny Desk Concerts” this month! There’s a week each per musical genre: week one is Jazz (Wynton Marsalis!); week two is R&B (Meshell Ndegeocello!); Week 3 is Hip Hop (Rae Khalil!); and the last week is “Wildcard Week” (sorry, not familiar with the featured artists but I’ll be tuning in!).

Universities

Most colleges and universities are celebrating Black History Month with at least a lecture or event or three. I love how Tuskegee University is celebrating the month with an expansive and free Zoom lecture series on topics ranging from “The Color of Baseball” and “Reggae and Resistance” to “Covid-19 and the African American Community.”

Check out the website of your own alma mater to see what they’re doing, or perhaps a college or university near you. You’ll find celebrations, interesting lectures, discussions, music and more from Oregon on the Pacific to the North Shore of Boston and every place in between to understand exactly why recognizing African American history in America is so important. (And if you don’t find any activities at the website of your alma mater, maybe send them a note of encouragement/expectation.)

What else?

Parents and educators, are you looking for a broad-spectrum, well-researched resource guide to teach kids about Black history and anti-racism? The Center for Racial Justice in Education has put together a gorgeous web page that includes hotlinks to books, films, newspaper and magazine articles, activities, and government resources.

One of my favorites was “5 Things Not To Do During Black History Month.” There were a couple of real cringe-worthy examples in the article, but it wasn’t all “yikes!” There was also some very reassuring advice at the end of the article for folks who are eager for examples on how to be good anti-racism advocates.

When a door closes, a window opens

There are sooooo many things that COVID-19 has taken away from us, but one of the things it has given is the opportunity to take advantage of things we never would have been able to before because of geography.

You may not be anywhere near Detroit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the Black History Month activities offered by the Detroit Institute of Arts. Listen to a concert by singer-songwriter Chantae Cann; hang out with Black chefs and mixologists as they put together their favorite foods and drinks; or sign your child up for a free celebration of Black photographers through a series of interactive exhibit/experiences just for kids.

This is just a teeny tiny slice of what I found and I’m really eager to hear about more. Please share below what your nonprofit (or your favorite nonprofit) is doing to celebrate Black History Month, and help steer the rest of us to more great content.

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: African American History Month, Black History Month

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David’s career in prospect research began in 2009, as a graduate research assistant at the Shippensburg University Foundation. In 2011, He became a development researcher for the University of Virginia. In 2015, David became assistant director of prospect research at the University of Baltimore, serving for 3 years. Recently, he was the director of development for Trees Forever. David Joined the Helen Brown Group as a research assistant in January 2020. He earned a B.A. in Theater at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Applied History at Shippensburg University. David is a member of APRA and APRA Great Plains.

Kenny has worked in development since 1999 and has been involved in prospect research since 2002.

Prior to joining The Helen Brown Group, he was the director of donor and prospect research at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Kenny is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Tara first began her career in development in 2002 supporting the Major Gifts department at Simmons College, and ultimately went on to serve as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. Since that time, she has also worked as a Senior Research Analyst at MIT, as Associate Director of Prospect Management and Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and as Director of Development Research at Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP).

Tara originally joined the Helen Brown Group team in 2007 and served as a Research Associate and ShareTraining coordinator until 2008 – she rejoined the company as a Senior Researcher in 2013 and was promoted to her current role in 2018.

She has been an active volunteer with NEDRA for many years and served on the board of directors from 2010-2016. During her time on the NEDRA board, she served in many different roles, including terms as Vice President, Secretary, Chair of the Website and Technology Committee, Chair of the Volunteer Committee, and as Chair and Editor of NEDRA News. She is currently a member of the NEDRA Bootcamp faculty. In addition, Tara has also been involved as a volunteer with Apra, serving stints on the Membership Committee, Chapters Committee, and Bylaws Task Force.

Angie began her career in development in 1999 at Virginia Tech in Corporate and Foundation Relations and later in prospect research at the University of Connecticut Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, her experience includes grants management at the University of South Carolina, program evaluation for South Carolina Research Authority and human resources analysis for Nissan North America.

She returned to development in 2007 and worked in various prospect research positions at Vanderbilt University, including Associate Director. She was named Director for Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s research office in 2015, and joined The Helen Brown Group in 2016.

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Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

In March 2017, Kristina joined the Helen Brown Group as a Research Associate. Before joining HBG, she was the Research Manager at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and an Associate Manager of Prospect Research at City Harvest, a food rescue organization. Kristina started her non-profit career as a legal assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004.  She is a member of Apra and Apra Greater New York. She was Apra Greater New York’s Director of Programming from June 2014 to May 2016. Kristina graduated from The University of Chicago and the Bard Graduate Center.

Grace began her career in development in 2001 as Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a Harvard Medical School-affiliated academic medical center.

In 2003, she became a prospect researcher for the BWH principal and major gifts team and spent the next 11 years in various research positions with BWH, culminating as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. She has been affiliated with The Helen Brown Group since January 2014.

Heather began her career in 2002 as a prospect research coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and then moved to Carroll College in 2004.

In 2005, Heather began working on her own as a freelancer and eventually started her own consulting firm, Willis Research Services, in 2007. She joined The Helen Brown Group in 2012.

Heather is a member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement and the Montana Nonprofit Association.

Jennifer began her career in development at her alma mater, Wheaton College, where she was an administrative assistant for the major gifts department.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in March 2008. She earned a master’s degree in library science from the Southern Connecticut State University in May 2009. Jennifer is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Rick has been a member of the Helen Brown Group team since 2005. Prior to joining HBG, Rick was director of research at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. Rick has worked in development since 1996, both in prospect research and major gifts fund raising. His experience includes the University of Vermont, Phillips Exeter Academy and St. Paul’s School.

Rick is past president of NEDRA and is a member of and frequent volunteer for APRA.

Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

Mandi has worked in prospect research and management since 2006. She began her development career as a research analyst in development research at City of Hope, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Los Angeles. From there, she became the manager of prospect development at Huntington Memorial Hospital, a community hospital in Pasadena, CA. Most recently, she was the associate director of prospect research and management at Occidental College, a private liberal arts college in LA.

Mandi has a BA degree in print journalism from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree of library and information science from UCLA.

She joined the Helen Brown Group in May 2019.

Kelly began her career in development in 2008 as an administrative assistant in Major Gifts at Wheaton College.

In 2010, she became a research analyst at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the Division of Development & Jimmy Fund as part of the prospect identification team. Kelly joined The Helen Brown Group in 2013.

She is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Jayme began her career in development in 2008 at the Rutgers University Foundation, where she spent the next seven years, first in prospect management and then prospect research. She spent several years at Monmouth University as their senior prospect research analyst, working with the fundraising staff, university president, and top leadership. She has worked as both a volunteer and consultant for non-profits in the areas of research and writing.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Drew University and a master of communication and information sciences from Rutgers University. She is a member of APRA.

Jayme joined The Helen Brown Group in April 2019.

Julie has managed finances for The Helen Brown Group since its founding.

In her spare time, she is an editor for the PBS series Masterpiece at WGBH. Julie was nominated twice for an Emmy award for her work on the PBS show Zoom.

Heather began her career in development in 2001 as a prospect researcher for National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She was with NWF for more than thirteen years, including nearly five years as director of research and analytics. Heather is a former secretary of the board of directors of APRA-Metro DC.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2014.

David began his career in development at The Gunnery school in northwest Connecticut in 2011, where he worked in database management and prospect research. Subsequently, he joined the College of Saint Rose as a development research analyst before leading Albany Medical Center Foundation’s prospect research efforts as Associate Director of Prospect Research. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Siena College and is a member of APRA and CASE.

Michele began her career in development in 2012 when she joined the UC Berkeley corporate and foundation relations team as a development analyst. She spent a year and a half at Cal before returning to UC Davis as a prospect analyst. She was with the prospect management and relations team at UC Davis for almost three years prior to joining the research and relationship management team at George Washington University as a Senior Prospect Analyst in 2016.

Michele received her BA in creative writing from Florida State University and her MA in higher education leadership from CSU Sacramento. She currently resides in Northern Virginia, is a member of Apra International, and serves as the social media chair for Apra Metro DC. Michele joined The Helen Brown Group in July 2018.

Angie has worked in development since 2002, partnering with a wide range of nonprofit institutions. She began her professional career at Vanderbilt University in research and prospect development.

She has also worked with a number of community nonprofits in front-line fundraising, grant-writing, and event management. Angie holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and a BS in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University. She resides in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a member of AFP Nashville and APRA MidSouth, where she has been active on the executive team.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2015.

Maureen has been a part of the non-profit world since 1991. She started out in annual giving at Harvard Law School and continued her career as director of annual/special gifts at UC Santa Cruz.

In 1999 she made the switch from front-line fundraising to serve as director of prospect research/management at Bentley University and in 2001 began her role as administrator for the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester. She became part of the HBG team in September of 2011.

Helen has been a development professional since 1987. Her previous experience includes The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Albert Einstein Institution, Boston College, the Harvard School of Public Health and Northeastern University.

Currently she works with a variety of clients to establish, benchmark and re-align research departments; identify major gift prospects; and train researchers and other fundraisers through on-site and web-based training services.Helen is a former member of the board of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) and is past president of the New England Development Research Association (NEDRA). In 2006 she received the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community.

Helen is Special Advisor on Fundraising to the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester and is a member of the board of directors of Factary Ltd. (Bristol, UK). She is a member of NEDRA, APRA, the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP), Women In Development, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Researchers in Fundraising (UK).

Helen is a frequent speaker and has led seminars for a number of professional associations, including Action Planning, AFP, APRA, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), NEDRA, RIF, the Planned Giving Council of Central Massachusetts, the Georgia Center on Nonprofits, the International Fundraising Congress and Resource Alliance.

Helen is also co-author (with Jen Filla) of the book, Prospect Research for Fundraisers (Wiley & Sons, 2013).