Carnegie Reporter, Vol. 4, No. 4 | African American Philanthropy, page 5

A Last Word
Clearly, African Americans have a long tradition of philanthropy, giving not only their money but also their time and other personal resources to a variety of organizations and causes, which are by no means confined to the black community. They have proven time and time again that they are committed and consistent givers in a wide range of areas such as humanitarian causes, institutional development—including schools and churches—and they give to advance social issues, education, political causes and to promote the arts and cultural enrichment. The habit of being philanthropic may, in fact, be so deeply ingrained in the African American community that many don’t even regard themselves as being particularly generous, even when they have to stretch their own resources to assist others. For many, that’s just the way they were brought up. The new crop of wealthy black Americans, it seems, are therefore simply carrying on the traditions passed on to them down the generations—but each, in his or her own way, has found an individual philanthropic path for addressing the issues they care about. That’s a form of personal expression that is surely satisfying to the giver, but the benefits to society are potentially, limitless.

Ponchitta Pierce is a journalist, television host and producer, writer, and editor who has been a special correspondent for CBS News, reporting for CBS Morning News and CBS Evening News. At WNBC-TV she co-hosted a Sunday morning magazine series, The Prime of Your Life. She also hosted and co-produced WNBC TV’s Today in New York. In addition, she has written about politics, social issues, health and finance for national publications such as Modern Maturity, Family Circle, Newsday, Ladies Home Journal, Ebony, Reader’s Digest, Parade and McCall’s.