According to the Census and various reports, Philadelphia’s poverty rate in 2000 was 23% and 20 years later its 2020 rate was 24.3%. In 20 years, while there have been slight increases and decreases, Philly’s poverty rate has held at or near 23%, maintaining its title as one of the largest and poorest cities in the U.S.

Taking it a step further, the areas where poverty is deeply rooted and highly concentrated are North and West Philadelphia —  areas that are home to mainly Black and brown community members, areas that are the focus of millions of philanthropic dollars and government resources.

As you celebrate the efforts of Black philanthropists and leaders and their nontraditional methods of philanthropy, think about what you can learn from them.

Think about the fact that Black philanthropy is being celebrated because traditional philanthropy wasn’t designed to and hasn’t met the needs of the Black community for more than 20 years, and Black philanthropists dreamed of something different.

Think about how these leaders and their dollars, programs, and time are focused on the ground, listening to the needs and lived experiences of these communities. Think about how advocacy is a large part of this work, and how marching, protesting, sitting in and never standing down are a part-of-the-whole to really move their work forward.

Philanthropy alone cannot save our communities from the nightmares and challenges we face. We need to wake up and stop serving our issues and start collectively working to solve them, and the policies and practices that keep us at 23%.

Read the full article about Black philanthropy by Monique Curry-Mims at Generocity.