Madam CJ Walker's Gospel of Giving: A History of Black Women & Philanthropy

Join us and professor and historian Tyrone McKinley Freeman, PhD, as he tells the story of the origins and evolution of one woman’s generosity, but it was (and is) not her story alone. It is also the story of a people and how their generosity helped them navigate and ultimately overcome powerful and externally imposed constraints. This presentation provides a window into the evolution of black women’s philanthropy during the critical turn-of-the-century period, which sets the stage for the coming civil-rights movement and provides the historical grounding for giving by African Americans today.

Tyrone McKinley Freeman is an award-winning scholar and teacher who serves as Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies and Director of Undergraduate Programs at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. His research focuses on the history of African American philanthropy, philanthropy in communities of color, the history of American philanthropy, and philanthropy and fundraising in higher education. His newest book, "Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow", examines African American women’s history of charitable giving, activism, education, and social service provision through the life and example of Madam C.J. Walker, the early twentieth century black philanthropist and entrepreneur.

His research has appeared in O: The Oprah Magazine, USA Today, TIME, Newsweek, NewsOne, Blavity, The Conversation, Black Perspectives, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and the Stanford Social Innovations Review. He is co-author of Race, Gender and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations (2011 Palgrave MacMillan). Follow him @mckinleytyrone