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2012 Annual Conference & Program At-A-Glance

• Click here for Friday, April 27, 2012
• Click here for Sunday, April 29, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

7:30 AM – 9:30 PM — Question Bridge Black Males Exhibition

ABFE will host the Question Bridge: Black Males exhibition that explores critical and challenging issues within the African American male community by instigating a transmedia conversation among Black men from a range of geographic, economic, generational, educational, and social strata. Question Bridge: Black Males is a portal to an inner realm of Black male consciousness. Meet and greet two of the Artist of the Question Bridge Black Males Exhibition.

LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon A (2nd Floor)



8:30 am - 9:45 am — ABFE Annual Meeting

The ABFE annual meeting provides our members, supporters and friends with an update on the organization’s current vision, activities and overall health. During this meeting, ABFE members will vote in new Board Members and recognize those that are departing the body.

LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon I & J (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)


10:00 am - 12:00 noon — ABFE Opening Plenary Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities (RPBC): Mobilizing Our Resources for Impact

The Association of Black Foundation Executives’ (ABFE) mission is to promote effective and responsive philanthropy in Black communities. We believe the success of this country is grounded in the contributions of all of its citizens; as such, philanthropy must work in partnership with other entities to ensure that all Americans are healthy and contributing. For Black America, philanthropic partnerships must be both cognizant of the barriers and challenges of the past (what drives the inequitable outcomes for Blacks in the areas of education, health, wealth and assets, etc.?) and forward thinking (what will be the role of philanthropy given the economic and social trends of the future?).

With the buzz of its 40th anniversary still looming, ABFE has invited representatives from the African American Leadership Forum to discuss how a diverse array of sectors beyond foundation professionals including community philanthropists, donors and nonprofit organizations, have effectively identified and mobilized resources within and beyond Black communities in five states to generate measurable impact. We invite you to kick off the day of activities with this exciting opening discussion, which includes steps philanthropy might take to ensure better outcomes for our communities.

Presenter: Gary Cunningham, Vice President of Programs - Chief Program Officer, Northwest Area Foundation

LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon B & C (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)


12:30 pm - 2:00 pm — Luncheon Presentation: National Urban League Presents Key Data on Race & Equality from its 2012 State of Black America Report—Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ & Empower

By 2040, people of color will be the majority in the US and the current majority will be the minority. A nation with a majority of people who suffer disproportionately from negative outcomes will challenge our policy, public system and service sectors in new and different ways. ABFE has invited the National Urban League to share key findings from the 36th edition of The State of Black America report to inform philanthropic strategies that address this issue.

Since 1976, the National Urban League has released its annual The State of Black America (SOBA) report, a barometer of conditions of the African American community in the United States. This publication features the Equality Index,™ a compilation of statistical data that measures the relative status of blacks and whites in American society in five areas: economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement.

This session will be an opportunity for ABFE members, grantmakers and attendees to learn about:

  • Overall equality status of blacks compared to whites;
  • Areas of greatest need for direct services, interventions and improved policies in the African American community;
  • Eight practical and actionable ideas and policy recommendations to solve America’s education crisis;
  • Highlights from State of Black America’s essays on employment, education and college;
  • Voter registration and voter participation of African Americans in the 2010 midterm election;
  • Strategies to confront voter suppression laws and conduct effective voter engagement activities for 2012 and beyond.

Presenter: Chanelle P. Hardy, Esq., Senior Vice President and Executive Director, National Urban League Policy Institute

LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon B & C (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)


2:30 pm - 5:00 pm — ABFE Summits (the ABFE Summits are designed to take a “deep dive” into various aspects of Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities)


Summit Track 1: Communications and Media Consumption: Addressing Negative Images of Blacks in the Media

A key tenant of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities framework is the use of grantmaking resources to minimize the dominance of negative images of Black communities. Grantmaking entities and donors are uniquely positioned to support a more balanced and authentic representation of Black life. This Summit will highlight examples from around the US where foundations are working with a broad array of media outlets and partners to communicate an empowering narrative of Black communities.

Please join The Opportunity Agenda for a comprehensive presentation compiling three new research studies, which examine perceptions of and by African-American men and boys and their relationship to the media, and a discussion of recommendations for the communications efforts of those seeking to improve opportunity for black males around the country.

Academics and advocates have spent significant time investigating the relationships among media representations, public attitudes, and opportunity for African Americans. To foster the incorporation of this knowledge into the work of those trying to improve black male achievement, The Opportunity Agenda has examined the following:

1. Social Science Literature on Media Representations and Impact on the Lives of Black Men and Boys
2. Public Opinion Research Related to Black Male Achievement
3. Media Market Research: Media Consumption Trends Among Black Men

Presenter: Alan Jenkins, Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Opportunity Agenda

Opportunity Agenda Team: Eleni Delimpaltadaki
Janet Dewart Bell


LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon I & J (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)


Summit Track 2: Policy and System Change – Establishing Models of Collaboration (Site Visit)

A key tenant of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities framework is the use of grantmaking resources to coordinate the policies and services of public systems that support Black families. Comprehensive neighborhood-based initiatives are critical to building strong communities however they pose unique challenges to funders, donors and service providers alike. Inequitable outcomes in Black communities are often promoted and maintained by the cumulative effective of policies and practices across systems.

This Summit will examine how the LA Black Worker Center and its coalition members partnered with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, building and construction trades and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract and Compliance to establish a five-year agreement that requires a hiring program for more than $30 billion in transit projects, ultimately creating an estimated 270,000 wage-paying union jobs. As the nation’s first master project labor agreement approved by a regional transportation agency, this landmark policy contains equal opportunity provisions and disadvantaged worker criteria that provide fair access for communities that have been historically excluded from the economy.

Policy Criteria Examples:
1. 40% of all work hours will be performed by workers from targeted zip codes with the highest unemployment and poverty rates, and
2. 10% of those jobs will be filled by disadvantaged workers who have been incarcerated, homeless, chronically unemployed, single parents or military veterans.

The first project to break ground under the agreement is the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, a light rail that will run through the heart of South Los Angeles.

Panelists: Lola Smallwood Cuevas, LA Black Worker Center, LA Black Worker Center Coordinator
Pete White, LA CAN, Executive Director
Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Community Coalition, Executive Director
Susan Burton, A New Way of Life, Founder/Executive Director


LOCATION: The Watts Community Labor Action Center


REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)


Summit Track 3: Community Engagement in Black Communities – Using Networks to Effect Change

A key tenant of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities framework is the use of grantmaking resources to engage the specific constituency/target population of Black communities in which it ultimately aims to support in the design and evaluation of grantmaking, policy and/or programs. With an increased understanding of the strengths and assets of a diverse Black Diaspora, grantmakers will provide more effective tactics in their grantmaking. This will inform a range of culturally appropriate engagement strategies that should ensure authentic and inclusive participation of constituents who can voice and act upon their community’s strengths and unique challenges.

The 2025 Network for Black Men and Boys is a collective partnership made up of various place-based and national organizations that have come together with an explicit vision to create a society with new social and economic realities that inspire ambition and hope among Black males. Hear examples from a select group of the Network’s local impact sites in Atlanta, GA, New Orleans, LA, and Tucson, AZ, that illustrate how they employ the principle of community engagement to support efforts that restore aspiration for Black populations and work with groups to advocate on their own behalf for lasting change.

Panelists: Cheo Tyehimba Taylor, Founder & CEO, Forward Ever Media Center
David Payne, Executive Director, The Atlanta Community Engagement Team
Jonathan TD Peck, President & CEO, Tucson Urban League
Kelley Brown, D5 Director, Network Specialist
Trupania W. Bonner, Executive Director, Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc. and Director, NOLA Black Men & Boys Initiative


LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon G (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)


Summit Track 4: Leverage the Trust Campaign: The Role of Black Foundation Trustees in Support of Black Communities

Trustees are key to facilitating a form of foundation grantmaking that is responsive to Black communities. This Summit is designed to provide insight on various leadership styles and key characteristics of successful leadership. Building on the knowledge of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities Trustee Institute the previous day, participants will collectively consider methods of challenging the status quo; offering support and encouragement to colleagues and foundation leadership; articulating a clear vision of more equitable outcomes for Black communities through philanthropic activity; and modeling leadership as a trustee.

Presenter: Professor john a. powell, Director, Haas Center for Diversity and Inclusion, University of California Berkeley
Greg Hodge, Khepera Consulting, Principal (Facilitator)


LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon H (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: (Trustees Only – Pre-registration Required)


6:30 pm - 9:00 pm — James A. Joseph Lecture Awards Ceremony and Reception

This is ABFE’s signature event that highlights philanthropic leadership in support of Black Communities. ABFE will present the Emerging Leader in Philanthropy and Institutional Leader in Philanthropy Awards, and you will hear from our 2012 Lecture. http://bitylink.info/James-A-Joseph-Award-Winners-2012 A reception for ABFE friends, supporters and guests immediately follows the lecture and awards ceremony.

2012 Award Recipients:
James A. Joseph Lecturer: Karen Kelley-Ariwoola, Vice President, The Minneapolis Foundation
Emerging Leader: Trista Harris, Executive Director, Headwaters Foundation for Justice
Institutional Leader: Marguerite Casey Foundation


LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Gold Ballroom 1 & 2 (1st Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)


For more information, please contact Special Gathering at (410) 685-7664
or email abfe@aspecialgathering.com