(Columbia, SC) – In celebration of its 10th anniversary year, the Friends of African American Art & Culture (FAAAC), an affinity group of the Columbia Museum of Art (CMA), will participate in Black Philanthropy Day on August 28, 2020. The day will be highlighted through the Give 8/28 campaign dedicated to fundraising, specifically targeting nonprofits whose missions promote and support causes serving the African American community. Like the popular Giving Tuesday campaigns adopted in many communities, Give 8/28 is a national campaign that allows donors to choose the nonprofits that they wish to support through an online giving platform.
“In keeping with the mission of the CMA, the Friends of African American Art & Culture strives to educate, enrich, and inspire an appreciation for African American art and culture through its programming and initiatives,” says FAAAC President Therese Griffin. “We are a group of diverse and passionate voices committed to raising awareness for the important contributions of African Americans in all forms of art and culture.”
August has been designated nationally as Black Philanthropy Month (BPM). Created by Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland and the Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network, it was launched in 2011 to commemorate the United Nations Year and Decade of People of African Descent. Expanding and evolving each year, BPM is characterized by a wave of high-impact events, media stories, proclamations, and service projects online and in communities throughout August, with local and global dimensions.
Give 8/28 is a signature event of the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute, whose mission is to educate, inspire, and empower investment through philanthropy, especially among Black Gen-Xers and millennials.
August 28 was selected because of several historical events impacting the African American community: 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered on August 28, 1955, and his death became a flashpoint in the civil rights movement; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963; Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans on August 28, 2005, disproportionately impacting African American citizens in that region; and on August 28, 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president, becoming the first Black man to ever win the nomination and bid for the presidency.
During this fiscal year, the FAAAC is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its founding at the art museum. The group supports the CMA’s programming and sponsors a variety of its own programming including artist talks, museum tours of the works of African American artists, interactive drawing and coloring events, and tours of local artist studios. Like many nonprofits, the FAAAC will pivot toward more virtual programming this year due to the pandemic.
If you would like to support the FAAAC Give 8/28 campaign, go to https://www.give828.org/story/2nms4f.
