In A.L. Lewis' name, Black community stewards lead philanthropic effort in Jacksonville

A group of Black philanthropists has established a collective-giving fund to boost investment in Jacksonville's Black community as a vehicle for equity, justice and "transformational change."

Based at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, the A.L. Lewis Black Impact & Opportunity Fund will focus on health care, education and economic development.  Launched at the foundation's Donors Forum Aug. 19, it is the region’s only fund dedicated to supporting Jacksonville's Black communities, according to the foundation.

The fund is expected to reach $500,000 and begin grantmaking in 2023.

Among the founding members is U.S. District Court Judge Brian Davis, who is also chairman of the foundation's board. He said he hopes the fund will "stimulate caring and giving."

"I am happy and excited to be a part of a group of Black community stewards interested in supporting, over time, the improvement of disparities which have long plagued the Black community in Jacksonville," he said.

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Philanthropist Lewis helped found the Afro-American Life Insurance Co. in 1901 and became Florida’s first African American millionaire. Among the causes he supported were historically Black Edward Waters University in Jacksonville and Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach. He and his business partners co-founded American Beach in Nassau County as a vacation destination for African Americans during the days of segregation.

His great-granddaughter, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, also helped found the fund and is an honorary member because she and her brother, musician John Betsch, permitted the use of his name.

"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion," she said. "That is what philanthropy is about."

Cole said she was "deeply moved" by the Lewis name topping the fund. Her great-grandfather, she said, was "up in glory shouting with joy."

"What a joy it is, what a privilege it is, to be able to give in the memory of someone who gave so much," she said.

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The fund was an indirect result of the country's racial reckoning after the death of George Floyd, an African American man killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, according to Nina Waters, the foundation's president.

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"We wrote a letter to the community after George Floyd was murdered," she said. "In that letter, we made a commitment to listen before we acted. Our first step was to assemble a group of diverse leaders to listen and learn."

Foundation officials wanted to find out how to give more grants to nonprofits led by people of color and engage more diverse donors and professional advisers. They also sought input from other community foundations across the country.

"We learned that in other communities, the way they listened and learned was to establish a Black philanthropic initiative," she said. When the foundation approached local Black community leaders, "they loved the idea," she said, and helped determine who might want to participate.

That initial group met in October 2020 and continued discussions through January 2022. They considered many models and developed their mission and grantmaking priorities.

"My hopes are that the fund will be sustained and be able to make annual grants that are meaningful and transformational to our community," Waters said.

Founding members determined that the fund would be initiated and led by the Black community. But founding member Wanda Willis, the foundation's vice president for civic leadership, said the fund also offers a "chance to collaborate" communitywide.

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The fund is "particularly meaningful to me since it amplifies the collective power and strong tradition of Black giving … of time, talent and treasure," said Willis, who will oversee the fund. "In leading this work, I look forward to engaging at a different level by offering new opportunities to learn from one another about how we can each play a part in building a better community."

Giving goes deep in Black culture

At the Donor's Forum, guest speaker Susan Taylor Batten, president and CEO of the 50-year-old, 2,000-member Association of Black Foundation Executives, said philanthropy  is "rooted in the culture and history" of the Black community and can be traced back to the African continent.

"We give not just to help those who are less fortunate but … to help ourselves," she said, citing the concepts of "shared fate" and "mutual aid."

"The well-being of one Black family has implications for another Black family. … How one community fares, regardless of race or ethnicity, actually does impact another community," Batten said.

African Americans contribute the largest portion of their wealth to charitable causes, 25% more than other populations, she said, citing a W.K. Kellogg Foundation study. Their giving totals about $11 billion annually, despite their lower net worth and smaller overall donations, she said,

Those statistics "bust the myth that philanthropy means writing big checks," she said. "We give what we have. That might means smaller gifts. … Never underestimate the power of a small gift. What matters is the love and concern for humanity."

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Trends in Black philanthropy include the growth of formal groups, including giving circles, donor-advised funds and "Black funds" such as the Lewis initiative; increased diversity of donors, including Black immigrants with typically higher income and education levels than American-born Blacks; and increased philanthropy study programs at historically Black colleges, Batten said.

Another trend is giving as a form of social activism, such as the Lewis fund "using philanthropy in a way that promotes change," she said.

"Despite the structured exclusion of Black people from opportunities to build wealth and obtain economic mobility in the U.S., we have continually demonstrated a love for humanity and a propensity to give," she said.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

A.L. LEWIS BLACK OPPORTUNITY & AND IMPACT FUND    

To donate or get more information about the A.L. Lewis Black Opportunity & Impact Fund, go to jaxcf.org/black-philanthropy or contact Wanda Willis at wwillis@jaxcf.org or (904) 224-7202. To watch the Donor's Forum about Black philanthropy, go to vimeo.com/745047786/86b91ec225.

Founding members

Dr. Atiya Abdelmalik and her husband Timothy Johnson

Carol Alexander

Martha Baker

Joe Louis Barrow

Mark Bennett

Len Brown

U.S. District Judge Brian Davis and his wife Tanya Davis

Fred Franklin

Ken and Lisa Johnson

Ronnie King

Eric Mann and his wife Branita Mann

Velma Monteiro-Tribble

Antoinette Rowe

Gregory Owens

Darnell Smith

Jim Stallings

Cleve Warren

Nina Waters

Dr. Floyd and Wanda Willis

Honorary members: Johnnetta Betsch Cole and her husband JD Staton

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Black-led philanthropy launches in Jacksonville in A.L. Lewis' name