LIVE in New Orleans at Essence Fest!

Dreaming in Color

Welcome to Dreaming in Color, a show hosted by Darren Isom, a partner with The Bridgespan Group, that provides a space for social change leaders of color to reflect on how their life experiences, personal and professional, have prepared them to lead and drive the impact we all seek.

In this episode, we journey down to New Orleans during Essence Fest for Bridgespan’s very first live episode recording, a panel highlighting Black women in philanthropy moderated by Tonyel Edwards, a partner at The Bridgespan Group.

Join us as Tonyel hosts a kitchen table conversation with a panel of Black women leading some of the most innovative thinking on equitable philanthropy: Morgan Dawson, co-CEO of Threshold Philanthropy, Tynesha McHarris, co-Founder of Black Feminist Fund, Carmen James Randolph, founding President / CEO at Women’s Foundation of the South, and Susan K. Thomas, president of Melville Charitable Trust.

Listen as these remarkable women discuss their pathway into philanthropy, the unique assets that come from being a Black woman leading in the space, and all of the ways they have navigated and changed the landscape of giving in support of a more just, equitable and colorful future.

This is Dreaming in Color.

Jump straight into:

(1:02) Starting things off with a James Baldwin Invocation

(3:55) Darren brings the words of Donald L. Hollowell into the space

(8:36) Introducing panel moderator Tonyel Edwards

(10:03) Learn about all the different hats our panelists are wearing as Black women

(19:14) Carmen references writer Toni Morrison - "As you enter positions of power and influence, dream before you think."

(34:40) Tynesha emphasizes the philosophy of being a “principled” leader.

(47:47) Power sharing, wealth redistribution and giving something up knowing that it’s not yours.

(51:45) “Hold your North,” and other thoughts on navigating the terrain of the philanthropic sector

(53:18) Best practices for building and leading in philanthropy.

(1:09:51) Rest as revolution

Episode Resources

• Connect with our panelists through LinkedIn: Tonyel Edwards, Morgan Dawson, Tynesha McHarris, Carmen James Randolph, Susan K. Thomas.
• Learn more about the organizations these panelists lead: Threshold Philanthropy (Morgan Dawson), The Black Feminist Fund (Tynesha McHarris), Women’s Foundation of the South (Carmen James Randolph), Melville Charitable Trust (Susan K. Thomas)
• Discover the historical contributions of civil rights attorney Donald L. Hollowell
• Learn more about the work and contributions of the Black women in philanthropy named throughout the segment: Black Feminist Fund co-founders, Hakima Abbas and Amina Doherty, Pivotal Ventures Director of Program Strategy and Investment Ada Williams Prince, and retired Deputy Director of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Gladys Washington
• Learn more about Tremé, the oldest African American neighborhood in the United States
• Learn more about the life and activism of Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau and see Toyin speaking at a BLM protest to honor the life of Tony McDade, a transgender man fatally shot by a Tallahassee police officer
• Read about Pauli Murray, American civil rights activist, advocate, legal scholar and theorist, author and an Episcopal priest, and her contributions to the civil rights movement and greater legal protections for gender equality
• Learn more about James Baldwin and Richard Avedon's collaboration, Nothing Personal