After 10 years, exhibit embracing Black philanthropy returns to Charlotte
Enlarged photos of Black philanthropists, who mostly hail from North Carolina, fill a space at the Charlotte Museum of History. The presentation celebrates an exhibit’s homecoming after a decade.
Creators of the “Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited” hope to battle misconceptions about philanthropists by showing Black people giving back.
“When we think about philanthropy, it’s about Black people receiving versus the story of how we give,” said Charles Thomas, co-creator and photographer of the exhibit. “The Black community is the largest philanthropic giver in the United States from our demographic, for our income level.”
Displayed in freestanding metal frames, each photo has a biography about the philanthropist. The exhibit, open now through Oct. 19, offers a way to see philanthropy differently, Valaida Fullwood, co-creator and creative director said.
“A lot of people think you have to be Bill Gates, Oprah, a professional football player or some celebrity to be a philanthropist,” Fullwood told the Charlotte Observer Tuesday. “This work is about reclaiming the root, meaning, love of humanity.”
The African American community has had a philanthropic spirit before there was a Ford Foundation or major federal grants, Fullwood continued.
“We gave to each other, we created a society, leveraged the resources that we had to build a society as we were building wealth, coming out of the period of enslavement,” she said. “It’s a certain set of values and traditions that are rooted in African principles and traditions like Ubuntu, recognizing our mutual humanity and our mutuality, that shapes how and why we give then and now and into the future.”
The Soul of Philanthropy first launched in 2015 at Johnson C. Smith University with the New Generation of African American Philanthropists and has since traveled to 35 cities across 16 states. The exhibit was created after the two creators published their book “Giving Back” in 2011 and received a grant to partner with the university.
Fullwood noticed an absence of African American depictions as philanthropists, she said, which inspired her to write the book. Fullwood and Thomas interviewed over 200 Black donors across the country with a large share being in the Carolinas.
“It was important to bring it home to remind us of what we created and to continue to celebrate Black philanthropy in Charlotte,” Thomas said. “And to make sure that we’re uplifting the stories of how we’ve always given, so that people will see themselves as philanthropists and see the power that they have to advance our community.”
The exhibit portrayed pictures and stories of Black philanthropists. One told the story of Dora Atlas, Fullwood’s great aunt, who decided after retiring at 70 to open a soup kitchen.
Another example of Black philanthropy was Carlotta and Johnnie Jones. The high school sweethearts from rural North Carolina instilled their values of giving back to their communities while raising their daughters. Throughout their lives, they gave to nursing homes, donated to charities monthly, offered produce from their farm and mentored young men, one of their daughters Melandee Jones told the exhibit creators.
The portraits of each philanthropist are put on an aluminum backing, Thomas said.
“That allows (the photos) to kind of glow and for the light to hit it in a special way,” he said. “And the idea was to kind of bring forth the light of our community.”
There is a multimedia aspect to the exhibit where visitors can watch a video with personal testimonials, poetry and images.
“We wanted there to be a dimension of where there would be audio and video and a way for people to interact and to hear the stories,” Thomas said. “So that it would connect to all generations of participants that come and see this show.”
Programming beyond the exhibit
It was critically important that the committee create programming that supported the exhibit, said Patricke Ward, Steering Committee co-chair for the exhibit. He added, “but also in power to educate our community about the impact of Black giving and the stories that have been created here.”
To that end, the Soul of Philanthropy has several programs set up at the museum and around the Charlotte community. The exhibit will partner with youth programs and organizations like the West Boulevard Coalition, United Way and the Women’s Impact Fund to host events, panels and conversations reframing thoughts on philanthropy. Program topics will vary from how religion impacts Black philanthropy to the role of Rosenwald schools, Thomas said.
Future for the exhibit
As the exhibit moved around the nation, Thomas said, some cities were inspired to create their own culmination of local Black philanthropy.
After its three month installation in Charlotte, the exhibit will continue to travel and “hopefully continue to ignite communities across the nation,” Ward said. The next stop will be Akron, Ohio, he added.
“What I want everybody to know is every one of us, we are a philanthropist,” Ward said. “You give your time, your talent, your treasure, your testimony, and your ties to make things happen.”
Want to go?
What: Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited
Where: The Charlotte Museum of History, 3500 Shamrock Drive Charlotte, NC 28215
When: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 19
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
