On February 28, 2013, BlackGivesBack hosted its first event presented by JPMorgan Chase and its Black Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD) group in New York City.
Held during Black History Month, the featured speaker was Christina Lewis Halpern, author, journalist and heiress of the late African American billionaire and philanthropist Reginald F. Lewis, who was interviewed by Valaida Fullwood, author of the award-winning book, Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African American Philanthropists.
The Community Investment Network blog features a guest blog post from Ebonie Johnson Cooper (pictured), founder of Friends of Ebonie, and her account of the event. She shares her thoughts about the interview between Valaida and Christina:
"The conversation between she and Valaida was also about her cultivation as a philanthropist at a very young age. “I’ve been a board member of my family’s foundation since I was 12 years old—well not officially until I was 18—but I learned early the importance of family giving. I’ve also reviewed lots of grants in my life,” she told the audience with a laugh. Listening first hand to an heiress—a black heiress—I believe was both exciting and awe-inspiring for most of us. It’s not very often we see a young person of color speak with such detail and passion about giving at such a high capacity."Read the full posthere.