Give Black Alliance seeks to leverage the power of Black philanthropy across the country

The change, according to the organization’s president and CEO Bithiah Carter, was about making it clear whom their work serves.

“This is about Black giving, Black people giving in their community, and then an alliance where we can bring everyone under this tent,” said Carter, who has led the organization for the past 11 years.

Carter and the organization have been working on shifting the narrative around investing in Black people to one that highlights opportunities for financial growth in Black communities. The group has examined Black donors’ demographics, behaviors, and motivations in Boston, Ohio, and Virginia, and it has released numerous reports from 2015 to 2022 recommending ways to support Black philanthropists and communities.

We asked Carter about her comments on the need for a “new democracy,” philanthropy in the Black community, and how someone can become a philanthropist.

This conversation is part of The Power Network, an occasional series highlighting community leaders, advocates, creatives, and change-makers who fuel the movement to address the racial wealth gap. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Boston Globe: I’ve seen you say it’s time for a “new democracy.” What do you mean by that?

Bithiah Carter: Democracy means many things to many people, but in its essence, it’s really a system of government by the whole population, meaning everyone’s involved. And what we found is . . . parts of our community are invisible. And we wanted to raise the visibility of the people in our community.

BG: What does expanding philanthropy within the Black community look like?

BC: Philanthropy, going back to its roots, its Gilded Age was seen as a place where you could use it for assimilation, if we will. It was used as a place — a tool of power — that created inequity, created divisions. The eugenics movement did that very well, and it was funded by philanthropy. When we think about the 20th century in particular, the idea of “you must conform to a certain way” was kind of the prevalent way of thinking.

Philanthropy was thinking not about how do we build from the assets that one has, but what’s wrong with you and how do we fix you? And we know that doesn’t work. As I think about the diversity of us, that is the strength of us, the diversity of not only our voices, our people, our thoughts, but that is the place where innovation happens.

BG: What are some key assets within the Black community, and how can philanthropy support them?

BC: We are a people who are abundant. Our talents, whether the innovations of the past, are too numerous to mention. We have given of our blood, sweat, and tears to create this country in many notable ways.

I think that this is our time, this Third Reconstruction, and I believe that we are already taking the lead to transform our community in the face of backlash, in the face of people that may not want to see us, but we see each other and I think that we will make this happen. We are making this happen.

BG: If someone wants to become a philanthropist, where could they start?

BC: As we volunteer our time, as we build connections, that increases capacity. We are doing things that are worth more than $25, $50, or $100,000, yet we don’t value it because we’re taught not to necessarily value what we do. We want to change that.

We want to say to that person, it is as easy as picking up the phone. It is as easy as identifying exactly where you want to make change and start. You can start by volunteering. You can start by creating a network.

BG: Our final question we try to ask everyone: What does wealth mean to you?

BC: Wealth is the power to take care of not only your family but your children’s children in perpetuity. Wealth is intergenerational power.

This story was produced by the Globe’s Money, Power, Inequality team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter here.

Lauren Booker can be reached at [email protected].