Gasman, Marybeth & Sedgwick, Katherine V. (Eds.) (2005). Uplifting a People: African American Philanthropy and Education. Reviewed by Jon N. Hale, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Gasman, Marybeth & Sedgwick, Katherine V. (Eds.) (2005). Uplifting a People: African American Philanthropy and Education. N.Y.: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. Pp. v + 204 $29.95 ISBN 0-8204-7474-6 Reviewed by Jon N. Hale University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign January 31, 2006 Marybeth Gasman and Katherine V. Sedgwick have collaborated to organize a monograph that skillfully challenges antiquated notions of philanthropy and, in turn, reveal a dynamic, evolving history of philanthropy in African American history. Uplifting a People: African American Philanthropy and Education is a collection of eleven historical essays that challenge traditional definitions of philanthropy and explore “the historical roots of African American philanthropy and the changing nature of African American philanthropy” (p. 3). The definition that has developed in philanthropic literature, and one that the authors are reacting against, limits the term to benevolent whites and essentially marginalizes beneficiaries, most often racial or ethnic minorities, to the position of passive recipients. Writing from the standpoint of African American philanthropy, thirteen authors in Uplifting a People provide historical accounts of black philanthropists, organizations and events that demonstrate the agency of a historically oppressed group. Gasman and Sedgwick introduce the text with a broad conceptual framework that informs the remainder of the book. First, Gasman and Sedgwick correctly point to the fact that from the middle of the twentieth century, “the prevailing understanding of philanthropy narrowed and became tantamount to financial support from wealthy individuals and foundation,” (p. 2). What emerged then is a limiting conception of philanthropy that has relegated minority recipients (who were often in fact donors) to the role of passive recipients. In order to challenge this prevailing notion, the editors utilize an emerging, broader definition of philanthropy, which includes “financial giving, the giving of time through volunteerism, and the commitment of self to a cause” (p. 2). Operating within this framework, the essays serve to explore three areas in particular: how African Americans shaped society through philanthropy; the role of black philanthropists in shaping the future of the entire African American society; and how black philanthropy has supported the education of all racial and ethnic minorities, as well as whites. All of the essays in this text historically examine in one-way or another the major tenets of African American philanthropy that address the aforementioned guiding principles. Each approach and topic selected by the authors is unique, and the research conducted is most often presented as a biographical or case study piece. Jeff Mullins in “Standing on Their Own: African American Engagements,” provides a narrative of two slaves who were the beneficiaries of a white philanthropist, whose ultimate aims were to relocate his slaves to the African colony of Liberia. In addition, Mullins illustrates for readers how recipients sometimes manipulated paternalistic relations for the betterment of self and community. Noah D. Drezner in “Thurgood Marshall: A Study of Philanthropy through Racial Uplift,” considers the individual philanthropic efforts, in terms of time and legal commitment, of Thurgood Marshall during the enduring struggle for African American equality. For Drezner, the actions of Marshall are indicative of the muted acknowledgement of individual philanthropic efforts in legal channels. In, “The Links, Incorporated,” Kijua Sanders-McMurtry and Nia Woods Haydel historicize in a case study the development of the philanthropic organization, the Links, and its use of money, time, and political connections to assist in racial uplift. McMurtry and Haydel additionally provide an historical example of benevolence that could be utilized in contemporary philanthropic efforts. In chapter seven, Fred H. Downs provides in “A.G. Gaston: A Story of Philosophy, Perseverance, and Philanthropy” a biographical account of A.G. Gaston, a successful entrepreneur who enmeshed the acquisition of capital with the uplift of an historically oppressed people. Darryl Holloman in “Not in Vain: The Philanthropic Endeavors of C. Eric Lincoln,” narrates the life of C. Eric Lincoln and his use of philanthropic funds to advance research interests on the black community, thereby commenting on the agency of scholars to exploit benevolent funds for the advancement of research in underrepresented areas. In chapter nine, Mark Giles in “Howard Thurman: A Life Journey for Service, Religion, and Philanthropy,” advances the notion that the individual actions of a minister and subsequent spiritual responsibilities are indeed another historical location of black philanthropy. In chapter ten, Marci M. Middleton in “Quiet Grace, Clothed Spirit: Oseola McCarty and the Benevolence of a Gift” provides an account of a sizeable financial donation from a laundress to the University of Southern Mississippi, further illustrating the selfless nature of black philanthropy and a culturally inherent belief in the emancipatory role of formal education. Edward M. Epstein concludes the book in “A Gift of Art: Jacob Lawrence as Philanthropist” by interpreting Jacob Lawrence’s artistic career from the standpoint of a philanthropist. By capturing the daily experience of the black struggle for equality, Epstein argues, Lawrence was able to contribute to racial uplift as a socially conscious artist. The remaining essays in this text are distinct in their scope or in their respective historical unit of analysis. In chapter one, “Nineteenth-Century Traditions of Benevolence and Education: Toward a Conceptual Framework of Black Philanthropy,” Jayne R. Beilke examines the origin of black philanthropy as it developed during slavery, emancipation, and the emergence of public education, all the while illustrating the inherent connection to broader community goals and racial uplift. Beilke demonstrates the multifaceted and multilayered nature of black philanthropy that is touched upon throughout the remainder of the text. Michael Bieze in “Booker T. Washington: Philanthropy and Aesthetics,” provides a fresh historical examination of Booker T. Washington’s fundraising strategy by way of media analysis. In so doing, Bieze portrays Washington as a liberation spokesperson that manipulated black art and culture for fundraising purposes, rather than one who primarily catered to white industrial education interests. In chapter four, Marybeth Gasman and Edward M. Epstein in “Creating an Image for Black College Fundraising: An Illustrated Examination of the United Negro College Fund’s Publicity, 1944-1960,” examine UNCF’s strategic use of visual images in targeting specific, yet variant audiences. Moreover, as these modernist, conservative visuals are examined against the backdrop of the Cold War, one develops a keen understanding of how larger socio-political issues were also exploited in the fundraising process. Several main points are revealed by the conclusion of this text. Philanthropy, in addition to traditional financial donations, is inclusive of individual commitments of self and time to either an individual or communal cause. A minister or artist, for instance, is equally capable of philanthropy as the wealthy financial giver. Additionally, philanthropic aims may also include educational, aesthetic, legal, and political conceptions of racial uplift, rather than ones informed largely by finance. Thus, one can advocate for social advancement in the courts, schools, gallery, or church. More importantly, however, it becomes clear that philanthropy emerges in African American history as a significant social characteristic. While blacks were the recipients of benevolent whites, blacks themselves were often the philanthropic catalyst in efforts that contributed toward racial uplift. Viewed in this light, African Americans, both recipient and benefactor, are active participants acting within calculated agendas to achieve some form of racial advancement. The greatest contribution of this text is that the authors in Uplifting a People collectively make the overdue suggestion that prevailing, discriminatory notions of philanthropy must be revisited and challenged on every front. This translates in this text into primarily expanding the definition of philanthropy. Essentially, this collection of historical inquiries not only revisits the traditional conception of philanthropy, it challenges fundamentally this notion to include minority beneficiaries as active participants. In this way the authors are quite effective in complicating traditional notions of philanthropy (or those which are limited to white benefactors donating sizable financial contributions) and in its place, proffering a multifaceted, inclusive one – an objective, which I understood to be a primary objective of the authors. The reader is presented throughout this text with well-documented, well-reasoned essays that place artists, “average” citizens, lawyers, and social activists on the same plane that has traditionally been limited to wealthy, white financial donors. Moreover, by writing form the perspective of those usually discounted in historical scholarship, the authors in this text allocate a tremendous amount of agency to those traditionally viewed as passive recipients of white charity. Clearly, a work such as this should be well received within educational literature, as it corrects a longstanding viewpoint that included few, yet excluded many. On this assertion alone, Uplifting a People is a significant contribution to the field. In addition, the diversity of topics explored in this text-from the history of individuals to organizations, from historical analysis to art and visual analysis-offer at the very least an interesting read, one that could not by any standards be considered conventional or dry. In this way, the text is very accessible to those with eclectic scholarly interests. It is interesting to note that within the confines of one text, a biography of Thurgood Marshall and C. Eric Lincoln are presented alongside an essay presenting a conceptual, historical rendering of black philanthropy in the nineteenth century. Readers are thus introduced to a diverse array of topics and methodology that maintain the conviction that historical research and presentation need not be limited to general histories covering a specified period of time. Uplifting a People is also useful in terms of its inclusion of different, yet effective historical methods and, as such, this text is applicable for teacher educators and educational historians alike. The methods and topics utilized by contributors in this text are interesting and serve as sound exemplars for educators and educational researchers interested in philanthropy (historically oriented or not). For instance, the brief biography of C. Eric Lincoln by Darryl Holloman demonstrates the contemporary utility of historical inquiry. Holloman examines the life of C. Eric Lincoln, his use of philanthropic funds, and the possibilities for fusing academics, philanthropy, and social uplift. Although such philanthropy is only one aspect of many philanthropic possibilities in the definition proposed within Uplifting a People, it introduces readers to less intrusive sources of funding (the Lilly Endowment and the Ford Foundation), and the agency and potentially philanthropic role of academic scholars (pp. 135-151). Because this essay is supported by archival sources and the research is represented by way of historical narrative, Holloman suggests that historical inquiry is indeed practical in expanding apparently well-established understandings of philanthropy. The essay by Gasman and Epstein is particularly notable in terms of the historical approaches utilized throughout this text. In “Creating an Image for Black College Fundraising,” Gasman and Epstein examine the manipulation of visual imagery for philanthropic purposes. The authors contextualize the development and tenure of UNCF, yet expand their analysis by including a discussion on modernism and an in-depth analysis of various visual utilized during fundraising campaigns (pp. 65-88). The use of art history and interpretation to strengthen an historical argument is illustrative of the creative methodology, interdisciplinary possibilities in history, and the diverse representation of research observed in this collection of essays. While the use of biography and interdisciplinary approaches position this text as an important contribution to the field, however, most essays in this text could not stand alone in making bold assertions that challenge traditional notions as the text purports to do. In other words, the strengths of this book, while indeed significant and noteworthy, rest primarily in the collective nature of the text. For instance, Mark Bieze in “Booker T. Washington” brings to his essay a deep understanding and genuine interest in art, but his attempt to expose the “grave error of assuming that the ‘outsider’ fundraiser is always merely a pawn in someone else’s game” is lost in the fusion of art and history (p. 39). While the reader comes to understand how Washington may have manipulated white donors for the betterment of the black community, the ethical issue associated with advancing an industrial education for any reason remains unexamined. In this way, the text examines interesting topics, but seems to lack an individual depth and the expanded discussions or explanations that one would expect from a book with such correcting aims. As this text begins an overdue discourse on what exactly constitutes philanthropy, the unexamined issues and topical introductions seem to suggest that further scholarly work on the topic is warranted and indeed necessary. One of the primary strengths of Uplifting a People is certainly the inclusion of various methods of historical research and presentation, as mentioned previously. However, as the majority of the essays in this text are biographical pieces, Uplifting a People is too narrow in that it leaves out other forms of historical writing that, if used, would boldly declare the space for alternative historical approaches. While the inclusion of biography is useful, as mentioned in reaction to Holloman’s piece, the inclusion of oral history pieces, for instance, may have added to the historical repertoire offered in this text. As such, the usefulness of this book in terms of advancing contemporary historical scholarship could be enhanced if other forms of historical research were presented. Certainly a formal nod toward the burgeoning acceptance of alternative methodology is beyond the stated intentions of Gasman and Sedgwick, yet the objectives of Uplifting a People seem to potentially lend itself to challenging prevailing notions of historical methodology and representation as well. This text is significant in that it convincingly demonstrates with sound historical evidence that traditional notions of philanthropy must be reexamined. Although the authors seek to challenge existing notions, the authors unfortunately do not offer a specific definition to replace it. For instance, the authors are knowingly broad: “we use a wide-reaching definition of philanthropy…the definition of philanthropy for this group of essays embraces financial giving, the giving of time through volunteerism, and the commitment of self to a cause” (p. 2). While this considerably widens that what can be considered philanthropy, it leaves a suggestion that approaches relativism. The traditional notion is harmfully limiting, but the alternative definition proffered by contributors in Uplifting a People does not provide a sound framework for others to replicate while researching philanthropy, mainly because speculations are not made as to the tangible impact of the philanthropic endeavors examined. For instance, while contributors demonstrate that the aesthetic contributions of artists, as in the case of Jacob Lawrence, can be considered legitimate philanthropy, the authors do not examine how or why metaphysical contributions can be evaluated alongside philanthropic financial or other more tangible endeavors. Rather, it states without justification that one is to accept a nuanced interpretation of philanthropy. While diversity in philanthropic understanding is needed, so to is a clear interpretation as to what should replace former understandings. One emergent criticism is the text could have expanded on the issues it addresses; albeit a common critique, it deserves attention here. One issue the text could have elaborated upon is following or expanding the suggestion given by Sanders-McMurty and Haydel in “The Links, Incorporated” (pp. 101-118). In this piece, the authors historically situate a contemporary organization. In so doing, they also offer practical guidance and framework for those participating in individual or collective philanthropy today. The primary implication of this is that historical methodology, as demonstrated in this piece, can be used for social policy recommendations. It seems appropriate for a text that aims to challenge exiting conceptions of philanthropy, to also include challenges to traditional historical research methods and the representation of such research. After all, are not the traditional norms, values and methodologies within the field of history at least partly responsible for constructing such a one-dimensional view of philanthropy? Uplifting a People presents readers with, then, a collection of essays that effectively challenge traditional notions of philanthropy. The contributors to this text are thus successful in reaching their primary objective to challenge such long held notions and, as such, this text is an important contribution to the field. Moreover, the methodology and representation of historical research in this text are notable in that readers are presented with a wide array of historical methods and presentation (biographies, visual analysis, case studies, and the like). Although the text leaves various ethical and historical questions unexamined―the task of doing so is outside of the scope of this project―Upliftinga People has effectively initiated a dialogue for further analysis of the topic. About the Reviewer Jon N. Hale is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His specialization is in the history of education and his specific research interests include critical pedagogy, educational reform, and teacher education. His MA thesis examines the historical development of the Mississippi Freedom Schools in 1964. He has presented his research at conferences sponsored by the Southern History of Education Society, Midwestern History of Education Society, and American Educational Studies Association. Copyright is retained by the first or sole author, who grants right of first publication to the Education Review.