About the Collection.

Collecting Courage is a powerful and moving collection of personal experiences written by Black fundraisers that chip away at the idea of an inherent goodness of the charitable sector. So how can a sector that exudes such external benevolence be the cause and source of pain and trauma in the form of macro and micro aggressions as documented in these stories? It has to do with who holds power and influence; it has to do with white supremacy, inequity and racism and it has to do with deeply entrenched beliefs, behaviours and exclusionary policies and practices that have been ‘normalized’ within the sector.

These personal testimonies document racism, survival and the preeminence of 14 accomplished Black North American Fundraisers, 5 from the United States and 9 from Canada. This collection of works also speak to the journey of asserting Black identity in all-white work environments. The writers speak of their quest, often thwarted in the charitable sector, to bring to their workplaces the love they have inherited from their struggles to survive in a white dominated society. These brilliant, first-person narratives give voice to a more accurate and complete picture of philanthropy and charity in North America.

Gail K. Picco Books, an imprint of Civil Sector Press, has included Collecting Courage in its debut Fall line-up.