The Giving Black Podcast

On this episode of The Giving Black Podcast, we explore a powerful topic that cuts to the core of identity, emotion, and stereotype.

Inspired by Claudio E. Cabrera’s article for The Athletic, “Draymond Green said what many Black people feel. But then he missed the point,” we dig into the layered meaning behind the label of the “Angry Black Man.” The article reflects on NBA champion Draymond Green’s statement about a perceived agenda to portray him as such—and whether that reflects reality, stereotype, or something in between.

To unpack this, I sit down with two friends and changemakers:
 Joe Williams, Managing Director of the Skills Trade Development Program at the Oaks Revitalization Association in Toronto, and
Curtis Carmichael, author, educator, tech entrepreneur, and community activist.

Together, we reflect on how anger shows up in our lives—not just as Black men, but as Black men in leadership, activism, and philanthropy. Are we actually angry? Or are we boxed into a stereotype? Can both be true?

Our conversation is honest, curious, and at times deeply personal. We confront the origins of our emotions, the stigma we internalize, and how all of it impacts how we show up in our communities—and how we both give and seek help.

I hope this episode sparks thought, dialogue, and understanding. If it resonates with you, please share it with your friends and family.

Got guest ideas for The Giving Black Podcast? Reach out to me via DM on LinkedIn or leave a message at www.givingblack.ca.

Philanthropy is the heartbeat of the world.

"Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening Giving Black Family, Wherever In The World You Are." I have missed speaking those words! 

In 2023 we produced 13 Episodes in Series One of The Giving Black Podcast. In 2024, we made one Special recording. Half way through 2025, I am sharing my first Giving Black podcast in almost a year!

Sometimes our own thoughts play a role in inhibiting our potential. Knowing that our current global and political climate calls for more debate and discussion about Black philanthropy. I share how I overcame some of my own self-inflicted barriers to striking dialogue about the ongoing need for generosity in Black communities.

I hope you enjoy this episode and will share it with your friends and family. If you have ideas for guests who should appear on The Giving Black Podcast, please DM me on LinkedIn or leave a message at the Giving Black website: www.givingblack.ca

Philanthropy Is The Heartbeat of The World!

Welcome Back, Giving Black Family! 

In this special Emancipation Day and Black Philanthropy Month edition of The Giving Black Podcast, I interview my friend, brother and mentor, Ray Williams. I have known Ray for as long as I have lived in Canada (16 years).  We speak about the recipe for success of the Black Opportunity Fund (BOF), the organization that Ray co-founded and currently chairs.  BOF is a social innovation established to increase the flows of revenue into Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused (B3) organizations. 

Our conversation returns to a single theme, food as philanthropy. Ray and I bond over our love of food and our introduction to generosity being the dinner table of four friends and their families.  Interestingly, our shared roots in South London, form the drivers of his personal approach to philanthropy: food, compassion, and kindness. Whether it's Ray's love for cooking, his connection to George Brown College, where he serves on the board and has earned his culinary arts certificate; Ray elaborates on how food can also open the door to our generosity. Today, Ray is a fundraiser and donor to the Culinary Arts Program at George Brown College. 

We talk about ways to drive more funds in to B3 organizations and support philanthropic participation in Black communities, as well as our families "back home", and our religious faith-based organizations. 

Ray recently retired as a financial services executive after more than 35 years of experience in Global Capital Markets, during which time he held leadership roles in marketing, trading, risk advisory & execution as well as securitization. Ray is also an Executive-in-Residence at Rotman School of Management and is on the board of the 100 Strong Foundation, where he and I both serve. 

Ray's energy and passion for community comes through loud and clear in this Special Episode. We close our conversation with the declaration that we need to build and support more Black entrepreneurs for Black philanthropy to grow.

I hope you enjoy listening to this Special Edition podcast. I especially hope you feel the joy in the conversation between Ray and me. I love Ray's reflection that there's is a reason why there is joy on his face. Philanthropy has the power to make us happy! Click here to learn more about Ray and The Black Opportunity Fund, 100 Strong Foundation, and George Brown College

Since we launched The Giving Black Podcast in August 2023, members of The Giving Black Family are accustomed to me sharing how each Episode is very special and a must-listen. I always give one reason or another for why you should listen. Most times I share how the podcast explains the varying ways that generosity is manifest in the global Black community.

This Episode is our 12th and final recording for Season One of The Giving Black Podcast. It is absolutely special, and it is a must-listen!

Today, Giving Black Family, I am proud to share with you Mr. Kerrite Bedward! Kerrite is my absolute best friend in the world! I do not say that lightly. I am surrounded by many brilliant and beautiful people in my life. However, Kerrite and I have been best friends for forty years. This October, we celebrate our Birthday Month and reflect on our amazing journey from young boys, to young men, entrepreneurs,  philanthropists, husbands, and parents of adult children.

Key to our conversation is the importance of our love for each other, and how the spirit of philanthropy has kept us being friends and brothers for a lifetime. I share how he was pivotal in shaping the direction of my life, and he shares his experience of why generosity is important to him. Kerrite reminds us that our philanthropy must begin at home (with family), and extend into the community.  His compelling words: "You always have to put something back into the community", echo true. After all, charity begins at home but it must travel the world if it is to be seen and felt by all!

Kerrite can be contacted via: https://flakeycrustbakery.co.uk/
and linkedin.com/in/kerrite-bedward-15041162

The Giving Black Conference, is scheduled for August 10, 2023, at 9:30am-11:30am (EST).  The theme of this year's conference is, Advancing Belonging. It's a subject that underpins Black philanthropy and affects those who seek to create social impact. 
   
On this episode of The Giving Black Podcast, we introduce an open mic for the first time. I invite The Giving Black Virtual Conference speakers to pop-in and share a few thoughts about belonging. I am joined by four guests.

As me and my guests share our perspectives, the conversation gets deep into our personal experiences.  Before long, Queen Jade, Vibhuti, Muthoni, Nneka and I realize that our discussions are expressions of hope over adversity. On the subject of career progression, there's one thing that we all know and have experienced; "We ave to move out to move up!". Ultimately, if belonging alludes us in the main, there is a powerful solution. Listen to this episode to find out more.

Be sure to register to attend The Giving Black Virtual Conference 2023. Click here to book your spot. Join us as we celebrate Black Philanthropy Month with a roster of great speakers, soulful poetry, authentic storytelling, calming wellness, and a spotlight on the true meaning of belonging in a social impact context.   Check out our registration details and the conference program here:. 

In this episode of the Giving Black Podcast, we celebrate International Men's Health Week (June 12-18, 2023) and Father's Day (June 20th, 2023). Our guest, Owen Thomas, is Managing Director of Future Men; a multi-award winning charity founded in 1988. 

Future Men supports boys and men along the path to becoming dynamic future men, whilst addressing the stereotypes around masculinity and what it means to be a man.
 
Owen is himself a father to three young women. He has more than 15 years extensive experience working closely with fathers, male carers, boys and men at crucial stages of their lives.  He is passionate about addressing stereotypes around masculine culture and identity, and promoting positive well-being and healthy relationships between and among men.

Owen and I are homeboys and OG's (Old Geezers), both of us having been raised in Brixton, South London, around the same time.  In this episode, Owen and I talk about our upbringing in the neighbourhood and share how being raised  in women centred families formed our early and later outlook on life. We explore what it means to be men of Black and mixed heritage,  racial equity, imparting African cultural history to boys and men, and the need for continued collective action towards social justice among Black men.

As we cover the ways to challenge toxic ideas of Black male identity, we land on love being a key requisite of change, and share examples of how love can have lasting and impactful determinants on men and shift the outcome of our lives. 

I have made a donation to the work of Future Men. Click here to join me in  supporting this important organization. 

Dr. Keratiloe Mogotsi is Programme Director of Executive Education at Witwatersrand’s (Wits) Business School, Johannesburg. She is  also a lecturer on African Philanthropy at the University. 

As a pracademic, researcher, Lean Six Sigma coach, project management professional (PMP), Dr. Mogotsi holds a Ph.D. in African Philanthropy.  Her research areas include disaster philanthropy, venture philanthropy, African philanthropy and philanthro-capitalism in Africa.

Dr. Mogotsi's passion for philanthropy struck me the very first time we met. As I was conducting research for The Duality of Giving  in 2019, she  gave her time  to the project and shared stories that were both personal and deeply impactful. In Episode Nine of the Giving Black Podcast, Dr. Mogotsi and I  discuss  what makes African philanthropy uniquely African. 

We talk about family traditions that shaped her understanding of generosity. She shares how unique forms of African generosity  augmented a  broader understanding of family, reaching beyond her mother, father, and siblings.  This philanthropy, she argues, was integral to well organized defences by Africans against the spread of COVID-19, thereby reducing the impact of the pandemic across the African continent. 

Dr. Mogotsi also shares how African responses to Cyclone Idai (one of the worst tropical cyclone's on record) in 2021 , saved lives and prevented a catastrophe in South-eastern Africa.

Our conversation centres on how the worlds of African Philanthropy and Western philanthropy are merging into new ways and customs for Black people to give.  I am left inspired by Dr. Mogotsi's  compelling prediction of the future of African philanthropy.  It's a future where communities combine indigenous forms of learning with modern philanthropic practices, to tackle the most modern challenges of our time.

I love to meet people whose stories of philanthropy span the decades! Motunrayo Olaogun is one such person.

Motunrayo works for the Christian Dior fashion label. She is a philanthropist, and was an  entrepreneur,  founding the Ayo Van Elmar. fashion  label which  is no longer operational.

Gifted with incredible knowledge, Motunrayo was 10 years of age when she helped kids in her neighbourhood with their homework. This quickly grew into a passion to provide clothing and school uniforms for children whose families simply could not afford these items.

In this Episode of the Giving Black Podcast, Motunrayo and I speak about the convergence of fashion, faith, and philanthropy -  her life passions. She shares her inspiring story about how philanthropy was sparked in her at a very young age, and is now exemplified through her current role as a cause focused donor, while building a legacy within Dior.

In our enthralling conversation, Motunrayo  describes  how there is a philanthropist within each of us. She observes, "There's always a place in our hearts to be givers", and "What you are looking for finds you".   

If you would like to join Motunrayo in her support of KIWAV or the Bbanga Project, please click on the links below: 

• Kids With A Vision (KIWAV): An orphanage serving more then 50 children in Jos Plateau - Nigeria: 
• The Bbanga Project: Building a school to support children's education in Kalangala - Uganda. 
•  LinkedIn.

Welcome to Part 2 of Boards And Black Tokenism - What It Really Means To Belong. In Part 1, our guests and I tell the jarring story of how we were recruited to a board as token Black members, and quickly discovered that as board members, we were not, and would never be, treated as equals.

Here in Part 2 we specify the concrete actions that people and organisations should take to deal with, and avoid, Black tokenism.

Continue the conversation with Mide Akerewusi, Nneka Allen, CFRE, COC, PCC, Founder of The Empathy Agency and Múthoní Karíukí HBSc, MPNL, CFRE, as we explore the profound story shared in Us and Them.

In this episode we discuss the important learning points for organizations to navigate board diversification while also upholding the value and dignity of all involved.

Belonging is “the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” (Brown, 2021)

In this episode of the Giving Black Podcast I am joined by two of my dearest sister-friends Nneka Allen, CFRE, COC, PCC, Founder of The Empathy Agency and Múthoní Karíukí HBSc, MPNL, CFRE. 

We tell the story of what happened when we were each invited to join a non-profit governing board of a powerful fundraising association that aimed to tokenize our participation as Black people. This experience is powerfully shared by Nneka in her University of British Columbia lecture, Us and Them.

How can everyone be powerful? Here is a question that challenges us to consider the existence and experiences of others, inviting us to contrast them with our own. It can inspire the expansion of our beliefs, deepen our understanding and grow our connections, and ultimately inspire us towards manifesting greater equity and justice in our work and lives.

Belonging is a fundamental human desire like love. And the relationship between belonging and culture is intimate.“More than anything, culture creates a sense of belonging…” (Menakem, 2015).  Humans need to belong to live meaningful, healthy and wholehearted lives. In the pursuit of equity, belonging must be the outcome for everyone to thrive in an integrated society.
 
In the first of this two-part recording, we lay out the problem inherently present within an unaccepting organization. In the second part  of the conversation, we share some solutions to the challenges of tokenism, and a lack of belonging. 

What prevents us all from belonging? Why don’t more belonging environments exist for Black people on boards? Listen to this episode to gain answers to these critical questions.

Also check out the Black Canadian Fundraisers' Collective mentioned in this episode.