ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Leaders of Black-led giving circles from across the Carolinas will gather in Charlotte on Saturday to celebrate Black Philanthropy Month and the tradition of collective giving.
The event, CircleUp Carolinas, will run from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Charlotte Museum of History and will feature the return of the multimedia exhibit Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited. The exhibition uses stories, photographs and interactive displays to highlight cultural values and long-standing traditions in Black philanthropy.
Black communities contribute an estimated $11 billion annually to charitable causes, according to organizers, and donate a higher proportion of their wealth than other racial groups. The rise of giving circles — groups that pool resources to fund causes they value — reflects that tradition, with 77 percent of such circles being identity-based, a news release about the event said.
Tracey Greene-Washington, founder of CoThinkk, an Asheville-based giving circle supporting communities of color in Western North Carolina, will be one of the featured participants, along with Ilyasah N. Shabazz, senior operations and communications director at Philanthropy Together in Greensboro, and Valaida Fullwood, creator of The Soul of Philanthropy and a founding member of the New Generation of African American Philanthropists in Charlotte.
Buses will leave about 8:30 a.m. Saturday from Asheville’s Triangle Park and Trinity United Methodist Church to take local giving circle members to the Charlotte gathering.
Black Philanthropy Month runs Aug. 1-31 and celebrates the legacy, impact and future of Black giving worldwide.
