Entrepreneurial Appetite
Entrepreneurial Appetite is a series of events dedicated to building community, promoting intellectualism, and supporting Black businesses. This podcast will feature edited versions of Entrepreneurial Appetite’s Black book discussions, including live conversations between a virtual audience, authors, and Black entrepreneurs. In this community, we do not limit what it means to be an intellectual or entrepreneur. We recognize that the sisters and brothers who own and work in beauty salons or barbershops are intellectuals just as much as sisters and brothers who teach and research at universities. This podcast is unique because, as part of this community, you have the opportunity to participate in our monthly book discussion, suggest the book to be discussed, or even lead the conversation between the author and our community of intellectuals and entrepreneurs. For more information about participating in our monthly discussions, please follow Entrepreneurial_ Appetite on Instagram and Twitter. Please consider supporting the show as one of our Founding 55 patrons. For five dollars a month, you can access our live monthly conversations. See the link below:https://www.patreon.com/EA_BookClub
Entrepreneurial Appetite
Advancing Black Communities Through Philanthropy: A Conversation with Bobby Blount & Cara H. Wright
Get ready to meet the inspiring philanthropic duo Bobby Blount and Cara H. Wright, board members of the San Antonio area African American Community Fund. What compels a successful trial attorney and a seasoned corporate professional to dedicate their lives to advancing their community? You'll hear all about their personal journeys that led them into philanthropy and their ambitious mission to uplift the African American community in the San Antonio area.
Their innovative approach to philanthropy extends beyond traditional models. Bobby and Cara have harnessed the power of larger funds and local organizations to fuel their initiatives, from establishing the Social Justice Fund to launching community basketball programs. They explain the concept of meta funds and how they've used them to provide much-needed resources for grassroots organizations and individuals in San Antonio.
Lastly, you'll hear about their approach to philanthropy as a means of building a strong building community. Their initiatives, such as Casino Night and organizing their biggest fundraiser, Renaissance with the Stars, are designed to engage, empower, and support the local community. Tune in to this enlightening conversation to learn how you can contribute to this noble cause.
What's good everyone. I'm Langston Clark, founder and organizer of Entrepreneurial Appetite, a series of events dedicated to building community, promoting intellectualism and supporting Black businesses. Welcome to Entrepreneurial Appetite's special series about Black Philanthropy. As part of Black Philanthropy Month, we highlight how entrepreneurship can spur Black Philanthropy, in conversation with philanthropic leaders and entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:In this episode of Entrepreneurial Appetite, we feature a conversation with Bobby Blount and Cara H. Wright, board members of the San Antonio area African American Community Fund, whose mission is to promote and advocate for financial philanthropy to enhance the quality of living of the African American community in the San Antonio area. It is my honor and my excitement to bring two people who work here locally in San Antonio, where I live, men in philanthropic space supporting black communities, black businesses and black institutions with the San Antonio African American Community Fund. So we have Bobby Blount, who functions as board chair of the fund, and we also have Cara H Wright, who is the founder of the Social Justice Fund within the Community Fund as well, and so just want to begin by you all telling your stories of how you became philanthropists, but then also how you would define philanthropy for yourself and maybe some others in the know work that you do.
Speaker 3:My name is Cara Wright and I've always been interested in philanthropy and helping people, but as I've gotten older, I was a trial attorney for almost 10 years and then moved into the education space of teaching law classes. It made me realize that there's so much work to be done, especially when it talks about when we think in terms of education and educating our community on rights and resources that are available. So we wanted to be sure that the Social Justice Fund would be a resource, so one of the resources that we have. We have a bail program, which provides bail release for people with, of course, low level offense and certain offenses that just simply can't afford bail. You'd be surprised the number of people that are in jail for just very nominal fees, and that's something that we're able to help and take care of. We also have the juvenile justice jeopardy program, which is, as I said, I'm big on education and just making sure the community knows rights and just little nuances about the law, and that's a program that engages the youth in really important conversations about the juvenile justice space.
Speaker 3:Right, when you're a kid, you're riding in a car with someone what if someone has a weapon? One of the questions would be who's going to jail? If you guys are all in the car, right, people might not know that. People might think, well, it's not my weapon, I'm not going to jail Things like that. What's the youngest age in Texas where you can be charged with the crime? A lot of people don't know that Okay. So that's an area of education that can hopefully help people be more educated just with the whole justice process and also maybe have second thoughts when they're in certain social situation. Lastly, we've just recently started the community basketball program, which aims to take youth from marginalized communities and work with them to produce future leaders. So while there is an element of a basketball game, there's also an element of providing resources and education and helping them make sure that they are able to have the resources to fill out job applications and provide mentorship as well.
Speaker 1:Right. So your experience as a trial lawyer to do something preventative to support folks who may be at risk of like encountering the criminal justice system Right.
Speaker 3:So I did civil defense for 10 years. But just obviously, being in the courtroom and being in trial, you just see things and I'm just thinking, you know there's got to be a way. And then, of course, when I moved to San Antonio and then the pandemic happened all the just uprising that went with that I was looking for ways to get involved in San Antonio and I realized that we didn't really have a social justice program. So we founded that in 2022 with my husband, brian.
Speaker 1:So, Bobby, what's your story? Getting into philanthropy, Bobby, you all over the place in San Antonio, right, you've been on, you've worked at school districts, right, like you work with the San Antonio African American Community Fund and some other things. So what's your philanthropic story?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess one thing I would say relates to what you're talking about. So, yeah, I'm on the president of school board for North ISD, then I'm on the state school board also, and so I get involved in education, get involved economically and even job-wise and involve a notion of philanthropy too. They help out small businesses and universities and others get engaged in innovation. But what I've learned and I'll tell you the part of the story is that it takes a lot to get a lot accomplished. So why sometimes we talk about certain swim lanes? What I tend to find out, at least for myself, is the broader I can make the swim lanes and learn about other swim lanes, the more effective I can be in trying to help out within the community itself. And where I got that from?
Speaker 2:My dad was in the military, so I was raised as a military brat. But wherever we lived, my dad always got involved in helping out in the community. For example, he coached the Air Force basketball team, he coached softball teams. He did things just helping out in general and daycares and other type things. So I sort of watched what my dad was doing early on and the impact that he was having that particular regard.
Speaker 2:But the one trigger point that really got me going is when I was living also in the DC area and I was working for my corporation. I was an engineer and we were going out of some pretty rough areas in DC and we're trying to motivate the kids to go into engineering per se. I can go out there and we started talking. You see, they're bored to death. They didn't want to hear it per se. So we said, well, we've got to figure out how to liven us up. We got to do something different. We're really going to have an impact, especially in the DC area, the schools that we were going to.
Speaker 2:So we had up creating. We talked to our corporation, say, let us create what you call multimedia today. But think about that in 1990s. But nobody was doing that per se. So we created the very first multimedia. We had the most popular DJing area that came on a computer screen. Say, hey, kids, listen to this, my corporation talking about selling. So we have Benjamin Carson, who many know he talked about how you do his operations. We had him on the screen and the ball and we had Six Flags, roller coaster things, all kinds of different exciting things and we started having an impact. So when I sort of realized that, I said, boy, I'd like to take this a little bit further. If I can engage and be creative and help out here, what else can I do to help out our community nationwide, et cetera? So that's sort of my story of how I got involved really and why.
Speaker 1:I got involved, so it's interesting. One thing I think both of you alluded to in your stories about becoming philanthropists is that even for you, it was a way for you all to engage with community and you think about right now people are still going through depression. The Surgeon General says one of the main things affecting people's health is this isolation is not being in community and so I think it's interesting that both of you mentioned how philanthropy was in some ways, a means for you to be connected to and in community with others. So now that you've told your stories, bobby I know that you have deep roots in San Antonio and have been involved with things for a long time Can you tell us the history of the San Antonio area African American Community Fund and what was the impetus for its founding and mission and evolution?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the way the San Antonio area actually started the foundation I mean, the community fund itself was a San Antonio area foundation and we're an outreach fund of that At that particular time the area foundation had realized that it wasn't fully engaged with the whole community within San Antonio. The money that it was receiving was really from one demographic primarily. So then the CEO was trying to figure out how can I engage more with the African American community, latinx community and the woman in girls community. So he got together the leaders or those that were doing different things across San Antonio. We didn't know each other necessarily. Some did, some didn't, from all different parts of the town. A lot of time in San Antonio we talk about the East side. But when he realized there's people in the South side, north side, northwest side, et cetera, that are doing different things in different domains, some for the church, some from education et cetera, so he got us all together, he said, hey, you can accomplish a lot. We as the area foundation would be your umbrella, will be your legal authority, will be your financial and will help you out with contractual matters, but everything else you do yourself. So we got us all together. I think we're meeting over and not the name drop but Frostbank or somewhere in that tower, and we sat down and we sort of said, hey, what can we all do? And we just talked about. We all are sort of focused on one key thing within our community that we think is critical and that's financial philanthropy. So we decided, yeah, let's form an organization and let's begin to have the impact and the community in that particular regard.
Speaker 2:Initial mission where we started out was really our initial thought was how can we get out more funding to those that already have an impact? We don't want to reinvent the wheel, create something already existed. So there's a number of great things that people just don't know about. A number of grassroots organizations and number of individuals doing things. Where they're hurting is in capital, especially in San Antonio. So that was our initial thrust and that's where we initially started was raising funds to help out primarily non-profits, initially in the social justice fund that other activities came a little bit later and help out in the community.
Speaker 2:So that's how the fun got started. So we are all volunteer based. We have no staff, so we're very dependent on those individuals that are coming on. And when you really look at how we actually put together a board is those that are having impact across San Antonio in other areas. We've got the church leaders, we've got folks such as Cara that are on board. We've got sororities, fraternities and we got business leaders. So we want folks that are having an impact. They're knowledgeable about what's going on within San Antonio where we can help out. So that's sort of the story of the fund.
Speaker 1:So how old is it? When did y'all get started?
Speaker 2:Sorry, 2008. That's going to be important later when we talk about our Renaissance with the stars. We'll hold off on that part, but yeah, 2008 is when we started.
Speaker 1:Okay. So, bobby, here's the question. Right, you've probably heard this before. We have tensions in our community. One of those tensions is there's the mainstream whatever corporation, business. Do we work with them to get resources and things done that we need to support our community, or do we start our own thing? And so, since it's been around since 2008, I know you have encountered somebody who says why do we got to be working with the San Antonio area foundation fund or whatever it is? Why can't we separate and have our own thing? Can you talk about why, in some cases, it may be important to actually be working with the larger fund for their support, getting their support and their backing to do what it is that needs to get done?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we had that conversation about every two or three years where we actually discussed if we go on our own, do we stay? What do we do? In that particular regard, I like to answer. My answer is you do it all and the reason why it is so important. There's no doubt in the world that, hey, if we're not grassroots, if we're not doing ourselves within the community, we're not going to get their pay.
Speaker 2:We're not going to be able to do those relationships. Me coming from a corporate type angle, I'm talking to somebody literally from the streets et cetera. It's going to be a disconnect. You know I've sort of lost that particular flavor. But if I can combine and I'll give you an example we're working with like San Antonio Rising Stars or somebody else in the community if we can work together he covers that aspect. I take care of the corporate aspect. Now we're starting to work together so we can start to really have a particular impact.
Speaker 2:The reason why it's really important is because we don't have the capital and other resources to really have that impact across the board, and that's we have to depend on the Valeros, the San Antonio area foundation, the Konkoski, those others that really have some pretty good resources and that have the political cloud and connections to make things happen in the city. A lot of things are done underground. For us to really be connected, we've got to have access to that underground. Decisions are made long before they get to the boardroom. We've got to be part of that. That's making that decision behind the scene. So we have to be able to work all that. So that's sort of my answer to you If you do one or the other, we ain't going to make it, and we've seen that historically, and there's way we can collaborate and do both per se. All of it actually is the middle ground too, that's the only way it's going to work out.
Speaker 1:That leads into the next question is can you all talk about philanthropy for power? And I think about I'm going to ask some context for why I put this in the questions. So I'm seeing now people who have startups, and they have startups. They have big, bold vision for what they want to do, how they want to use this new technology to transform the world, and, as they are initiating their startup, at some point they start their foundation early, whereas in the past you would get rich and then you would start your foundation. But these new startups they're like I'm going to start my foundation now and start influencing the market, start influencing policy so that it can help grow my business. And so I read that, as men, they're leveraging philanthropy for power, and so maybe not even necessarily in the context of starting a startup with tech or whatever, but what does it mean to leverage philanthropy for power?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess two things related to that part of it. Actually, my last job I'm going to talk about a month or two ago. My last job was actually to help build up startups, primarily in Austin and San Antonio area, and more toward driving toward innovation et cetera, and what I started to find is, especially right now I should be more specific to the question that you're saying is, what's realized is because the upcoming generation is really social minded and, as a part of that, philanthropy definitely plays into that. So the way I started the business I don't know when I came up, et cetera, technical, just get straight to the point taking care of the job immediately that ain't going to work turns really me having the opportunity to be successful within my business itself.
Speaker 2:So even when you look at how startups and how business is going today, there's a necessity, not only for those that necessarily even in philanthropy but they realize the value of doing it, and so the power of it is to really get people to really come on your particular side If you really want to grow your business or what you're doing. It's hard to compete against somebody that give an example that may be totally research minded. So, hey, I'm going to pull the best physicists, the best computer science. They're there in other places.
Speaker 2:But where you can win your battle is when you add the philanthropy, or giving a social aspect to it, because now that relates to others and it takes a very special skill it's a very critical one to be able to do that, to bring on others. So I think that's sort of the realization of where that power has sort of shifted. It's not necessarily the smartest person in the room anymore, where it used to be years ago. It really is those that can really bring in and collaborate, work with others, serve. Causes are a lot broader. So I don't know if they answered your question, but that's one of my thoughts on it.
Speaker 3:And the only thing I would add is that philanthropy can be very social, so you're meeting people, you're having events and you're connecting not only on the philanthropic level but also business as well. So I think it does work hand in hand, just in general, and it can be beneficial to both areas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks, sir, if you don't mind Go ahead. One other concern that I'll tell you I haven't said it to anyone, so I'm going to go off base for a second and then bring it back that I'm hoping we can collaborate, especially with an African community. It's really trying to figure out what domains, what areas should we be focused in, because a lot of times people start up because they say, ok, that's my background or that's my fat, that's what I know. So wait a minute and I give you an example. I'm going to use what I do as one, and there's many others too.
Speaker 2:So cybersecurity has billions and you heard me say it's billions of billions of dollars. I mean joint based center Tonya and Laka. They've got major responsibility nationally, not just Air Force and not just Army. That part of it they've got national. So what I've been trying to say boy wouldn't it be great if we aligned ourselves as a community. Where the business bases are, our opportunities are within San Antonio, whether it be cybersecurity, whether it be health, etc. So I want to throw that out too, because those have some interesting parts from a philosophical standpoint and philanthropy standpoint, especially on the health, you can easily tell that story. But one of the biggest problems that you have in cybersecurity is not the technical part of it. It really is understanding human, and it's actually the socialization is actually just as critical to that. So I want to throw that out to you for having that conversation.
Speaker 1:So when I think about philanthropy, I often times think about it very narrowly. I think about it in terms of politicians, think tanks, moving policy. But I think, bobby, what you're saying is that in some ways you can leverage philanthropy to move communities to do business in industries that matter to their own benefit, rather than just have it be something oh I'm interested in this, so I'm going to go do that. No, you have to do something that matters, and when you do stuff that matters, then you can do uplift for your community.
Speaker 2:So I bear an idea.
Speaker 1:We have to be strategic about how we do philanthropy. Bobby, we've had that conversation before about the cybersecurity we have. Yeah, I know, if you think about where you are in San Antonio, it makes sense to do that. You do that, you get your money. Then with your money, you can do these other projects that you want to do once you've elevated economically.
Speaker 1:One of the things that just came to mind and I was thinking about this, and it goes back to the question about do you have your own fund outside of the mainstream fund or whatever, but it also relates to the social justice fund. So I think about this meta funds within funds within funds. So you have the social justice fund within the San Antonio African American Community Fund, which is in within the San Antonio, the San Antonio Foundation right, was it within the San Antonio area foundation? And so we sometimes think that the influence only happens from the top. But when you have your own fund within a fund, the overall organization still gets pulled in the way that you want it to pull to. Can you all talk about the influence that you all have been able to have in this sort of meta type of way? So, kara, you have the social justice fund influencing the San Antonio African American Community Fund, which I think has influenced over the San Antonio area foundation. So how have you all been able to pull or nudge the ship in a slightly different direction, such that it benefits black communities with the funds stacked in that way?
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Speaker 3:Sure. So, even going back to what you talked about, is it beneficial to start your own thing and be separate? When I was looking to figure out how to do this social justice fund, that was an option for me. Right, I was thinking, well, I can just go off on my own and start Anyone can people start their own 501 C3s all the time. Then, when I was connected with Bobby, we really talked about how being housed under the foundation can be a benefit for everyone, because now they are aware of certain things the area foundation, right, they're aware of certain things and certain causes that they might not have ever known If we didn't have the San Antonio area African American Community Fund and also the social justice fund. So you really are working together and collaborating with each other to make progress and achieve a purpose.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and just to follow through on Kara's exact point on that, is what actually? Give you one example of what's actually occurred and it goes a little bit bigger once we're talking about it. So when we create it, when Kara helped us create the social justice fund, it's sort of about awareness to the area of foundation that there's a lot of things they didn't know about the community or what was going on per se when we started talking about, hey, look, here's what's going on with Bill. And so look, somebody for $5 spends the night in jail. Now their whole life is over per se, over $5, literally, et cetera. And so they didn't realize that we don't understand that. And they realized they don't understand the day, how many people face that. So what that led to is then the foundation said boy, we need more information. We need to understand more, not only about criminal justice at the house, we need to understand more about other things that we don't understand within the community.
Speaker 2:So that led to our report and for everybody seen at the state of African Americans in the San Antonio area and the area foundation put some pretty good resources into that got CI now took us two years to put together a report. Well what they've actually realized by creating that report. It helps them not get information and data and gives them the baseline as they're giving out funding and they actually use that talk to talk to other funders too and say, hey, have you looked at the African American, the state of African American in San Antonio report as you're making your selections and what you're trying to decide to do with your funding? So those are the type of things that are one example where it started out. As a social justice fund, we worked together to create the report. The area foundation pays for the report but actually leverages it and use it and communicates that with others too, as they're talking about the needs of San Antonio.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I identify as a millennial. I'm an older millennial, people call it. My wife tells me we're geriatric millennials. I don't know how I feel about the geriatric part, but what I do know is is that my homeboy, who's going to be co-hosting with me, on a later episode of the podcast about for Black Philanthropy Month, posted on LinkedIn and he said that millennials, of the adult generation, millennials are the most philanthropic in a sense of identifying as philanthropists and percentage wise in terms of actually giving. We give more than boomers do. And so, kara, I'm wondering from your experience how do you start a fund? How do you do that? What is the way that that came about?
Speaker 3:Well, so obviously I am a lawyer, so I was just going to start my own fund, right, do the paperwork just like how you would register or start any business. And I also have colleagues that's what they do, right? They start funds for people, or 501c3s, and there's some paper involved, a lot of paper, and you got to make sure you have everything documented and know. Since it is a 501c3, your records got to be clean, and so I just thought, well, I'll just do it myself. But then I'm new, or newer ish, to San Antonio.
Speaker 3:So what good is a social justice fund or really any 501c3 if I don't know anybody and if I don't have connections and if I'm not able to tap into the resources of the community? No one knows who I am. So that's why it was beneficial to be partnered up with the Bobby because, like we talked about earlier, the San Antonio area African American Community Fund has been around for a long time. It's already established, they know how to do things. Getting it started is just a matter of finding the funding and then filing some additional paperwork through the area foundation.
Speaker 1:Did you have any prior experience working with funds? Was this your first one ever? I knew first one.
Speaker 3:I've always been a giver and always involved in any type of foundation or cause that caught that my friends have been involved in or someone has a need. We've always been ready, willing to help. But my first time actually doing the work and not just being a funder, was through this social justice fund.
Speaker 1:And so the social justice fund, in my research for the interview, was one of the major themes that popped out. But then there's also the work that the community fund does more broadly with regard to supporting black institutions. So that's nonprofits and black businesses, and you all talk about the way that the African American Community Fund as an institution is supporting other institutions that are doing good work in the community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the start out is we have a giving program to nonprofits and the way that one works is beyond very broad areas. Anybody that's having a 70% impact in the African community. You have to put that in their grant application. If you're program or if you're impacting 70% of the community in either arts, health and education, youth, social justice and a couple other areas, then you can apply to receive a grant from us. So at least twice a year now, thanks to we have a new sponsor, welcome material that gives us additional funding that we name a grant after. But you submit an application and if it's having the impact within the community, then we provide you the funding to support your particular effort. So that's the original we've had for the nonprofit support. In addition, the other thing that we're doing nonprofits is we sort of realize it's sort of great to do the funding and other things, but capacity building is extremely critical. So we're actually funding for nonprofits in this program called Ketra Fire, and Ketra Fire is a nationwide volunteer based program that's actually worldwide that you can ask for assistance in developing a web, for example, and how to write a grant. There are volunteers that are professionals in those career fields that are giving up their time and then there's a way through that program that you connect with them and they provide you support and that's the additional support we think is extremely important. This is being a support nonprofit.
Speaker 2:The other one that we created is to provide micro loans for African American owned businesses. That's called the Dream Maker Fund and that's a partnership that we established the very first while I'm a Lyft Fund itself If you're familiar with Lyft Fund we're trying to establish sort of a different model on how they do their business. We were the first one to come on board where we had a designated fund to say the only one that can apply for these micro loans are African American owned businesses. So that's available for African American owned businesses to be able to get loans or sell. We're also engaging with Lyft Fund and others to again that capacity building is to say we've got to get more support to African American owned businesses to help them on strengthening their structure, to help them to grow, et cetera.
Speaker 1:So those are the ones that we're supporting from a business sense, I'm wondering if you all could speak to the power of building these philanthropic networks locally. So in other places you might hear someone say there's national organizations for black folks that do philanthropic work UNCF, the Urban League, you might say NAACP or other organizations but it seems that the San Antonio African American Community Fund is very local in terms of its partnerships. Can you talk about the importance of that and why? Maybe that is a better strategy than looking at something more nationally, or maybe there is benefits to doing something more nationally. What are your thoughts on local versus more national partnership?
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, anything that you can do is, of course, beneficial, right? So if that means donating to a local, to national organization, that's fine. But I think the benefit of being a smaller local organization is that we're literally here in San Antonio, we're seeing things happen on a regular basis and seeing our impact on a regular basis and seeing things that we want to try and help out with, and so no shade to like national organizations. They're great and sure, they're very effective, but smaller organizations can be very effective as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I would add too, and from my vantage point is I sort of I backed out. I have a couple of really helping national and state, because to me, you know, even I haven't even saw my own problems locally and if I'm going to really have an impact, I need to be there to tell a story that, oh yeah, san Antonio, we got the greatest thing going, we solved these issues, et cetera, as opposed to me, brought me out. Now I'm not slamming anybody that does Same thing. When I look at bringing in national organizations, they do have the broad scope, but to say the same thing, we need to bring our own organizations together, address things here, move the needle, which is to me I'm going to say it over and over again we're not moving the needle anywhere. Somebody got to move this needle. No city, there's no state, everybody by this moving the needle for the African-American community. So mine is why can't we do that here and let's put everything we can to make that happen.
Speaker 1:As I think, about this conversation we're having, I learned something from both of you.
Speaker 1:Right now, we sometimes get caught up in being super black, black, black, black, black and we're going to use black funds, we're going to use black community dollars and things like that to move the needle, as you would say, bob, but sometimes it's better to work locally.
Speaker 1:We may think it's better to not partner with a local mainstream organization but then go to a national black organization that doesn't really have a feel for what's happening specifically in your community, but that's the excuse we use for not working with the mainstream organization.
Speaker 1:That's a white organization. They don't know what's happening in our community, but the national black organization is so distant from the actual issues going on in your localized community that it actually may be better to work with those who are in your city, right In terms of proximity. And so I think that's something that listeners people who are listening to this conversation could gain value from is not to negate the partnerships that are right in front of you for something that's more nationally, may not be focused on what your community really needs. So I appreciate you all sharing that. So the other thing that I noticed about the community fund is that you all leverage philanthropy to build community. Can you all share some of the events, some of the other things that you all are doing in the community to galvanize people, or maybe I don't want to say this make people philanthropist in ways that they're not even thinking about being philanthropists?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess two things sort of related to that and one care sort of mentioned her introduction. What we try to do is now our emphasis issue has been partnerships and collaborations. So, for example, where we were talking about the community basketball program, so the community basketball league itself, we're partnering with them and hopefully anybody out YMCA, san Antonio Rising Stars, winter Circle, tactical Solutions, westcare, san Antonio Police Department, and I think I got everybody in. And the reason why we're doing that is, again, we realize we can't have the impact unless we're all working together. Okay, everybody saw it's not part of it, but what it also does is by us sharing and talking to each other, we can make the San Antonio Police Department a little bit more philanthropic in addition to the major issue we're trying to deal with as a law enforcement and community side of the house, but also makes it more giving, to use the type of thing.
Speaker 2:Here's how you can really help. It makes it more effective. We know you're doing this, but wait a minute. If you really want to have an impact in the community, come join us on this and you will learn more. Now, learn from this, but from other things too. Same thing when I work with somebody like San Antonio Rising Stars and say, okay, I know you've been sort of serving this mission. Let me show you something a little bit different, where you can give more and be more effective, and it applies to us also. We learn as African-American community fund, through our social justice fund. I can learn from one of Circles and others on how I can be more effective in what we're doing. So, in addition to trying to guide and partnership with others, I think it's making everything more effective when we're trying to serve in those roles.
Speaker 1:And so I'm also wondering about. I got tickets to Casino Night but I wasn't able to go. Someone offered them to me and my wife, so I wasn't able to go, and I know that you all have the Renaissance with the stars, so talk about those events and how they're building community, engaging people in fun ways.
Speaker 2:Yeah, casino Night was actually done by a rising professional, so let me do that and I'll transition to Renaissance.
Speaker 2:So the idea of a rising professional, my way of describing it. You had folks like me that've been around for a while, but it wasn't your earlier question. So we weren't really engaged with the men to younger folks and really being effective in terms of what we're trying to do from a philosophical standpoint. So our thought was we need the future, leaders and other things, but we also need to work together within our own community older folks, younger folks, mid folks, everyone described. And that's the idea of the rising pros. Okay, what's that? The age group from 20 something to 30 something is a rising pro. So they held the social events they get together as community and other type aspects to serve within our mission. So there are community arm of that particular part.
Speaker 2:But now Renaissance with the Stars. So that is the event in San Antonio and I'm not just saying that because I'm the one that sort of helped started with our team that we had. So that's our biggest fundraiser also outside of what we do with the social justice fund for other events and activities. Renaissance with the Stars is that big one. So it's at the Tobin and we've got a nice little performing arts center. But the way that event actually works is we picked this case six celebrities in San Antonio and they can be from a government side of house. They can be we had the mayor's wife a couple of years ago and be politicians. They can be corporate, they can be grass with people and they're partnered off just like dancing with the Stars show.
Speaker 2:They are partnered off with a very good professional dance studio called Seminea and they've been rehearsing for about three or four months and on that night they show their stuff or they can do on their floor and there's two parts to it. It's done just like the show in terms of the judging and the dancing and other aspects, but it's how much money they raise to so they're out right now. As a matter of fact, you want to contribute a little extra cash and help one of these dancers out? Yeah, how much money they can raise to? Okay, that's our Renaissance dancing with the Stars. Now, the reason called Renaissance with the Stars was based on Harlem Renaissance and dancing the Stars with popular, so we have other entertainment that's also offered, but the dancing with the Stars component is the main part and this year's co chair is actually right there with you. Care, right, she does everything as our co chair for this year.
Speaker 3:Yes, jumped right in.
Speaker 1:And so, bobby, can you tell us the date, the location, the time for the Renaissance with the Stars event?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the date of event will be August 12 and a Saturday. It will be at the Tobin Arts Performing Center and the event the dinner starts at six and the event starts at seven, and we have both dinner tables and we have general mission seats that are available so we can accommodate up to about 1700 people. So looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:So, bobby, have you danced yet? I used to as excuse. I mean, I had to be in charge of it. Okay, is that your excuse to you? Will go there and dance.
Speaker 3:No, no, no. Okay, I'm a behind the scenes type of person, all right, just checking.
Speaker 1:I know that both of y'all have had an impact here in the community. If there are any other ways that folks can support the San Antonio African American Community Fund, how can they do that and where can they go to do that?
Speaker 2:Anybody wants to support the San Antonio African American Community Fund, they can go to our website, which would link them to how you can give to us SAAACForg just four a's in there, s4acforg and you can give to us, and you can also look at what we're doing and ask the volunteers to help out. One other thing I always throw out let me have this part of it too is the biggest thing you can help within our community is to be effective in your swim light. Be the very best that you can. Forget how you can help out our community and what you do, and that'll carry us all forward.
Speaker 1:I look at a lot of longstanding black institutions and organizations and I look at their boards and the boards are all older people, yeah, right. And so in my mind I'm like we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion. I think, internally in black community, that in order for your board to be viable, that you need to have every decade of adult. So you need an 18 or a 19 year old, you need somebody in your 20s, somebody in your 30s, somebody in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, whatever Right. And so talk about how people because I know you said you're a member driven board, driven board. How can somebody get involved with the San Antonio African American Community Fund, specifically as a member of the board of directors?
Speaker 2:So we are a working board, so and what that means is we don't hire a staff. The different things that we're doing are we take care of ourselves. It's an example we actually hired an intern and that's a part of us from the Alamo colleges this year and we had him running that community basketball league along with the other leadership. So he's helping the social justice fund, but he's able to do it in something that he understands. So the biggest thing for us is you want to serve on one of our committees, or if you have something that's going to impact the community, just come forth and talk to us about it and you can serve with us and accomplish it in other particular purposes.
Speaker 1:And so, because we have some roots as a Black Book Club, I'm wondering if there are any books, or a book that you all have read, that have sort of inspired you on your journey as philanthropists, as givers, or maybe just a book that you are enjoying reading right now that you could share with our audience.
Speaker 3:Well, this is right at my alley. You don't know this, but I'm an avid reader. I read a lot of books, so there's so many that I could definitely recommend. I recently read Poverty by I think it's Matthew Desmond a Poverty in America. That's always a good one, cast. There's so many books that I could recommend Stam from the beginning.
Speaker 1:It is a good one.
Speaker 3:I read a ton. So I think honestly, reading not just nonfiction, okay, even fiction, specifically historical fiction can also kind of shape the way that I look at things. Maybe it brings up an issue that I wasn't aware of and I can ask about how are we addressing this in our community and things of that nature. So reading is super, super important and I would encourage anyone to be a reader. And also you can read through your local public library on the app.
Speaker 1:Shout out to the Libby app if you don't have the Libby app.
Speaker 3:Gotta get Libby.
Speaker 2:And I would just say that I care a couple extremely well, but to me the writing is also a big part of it. Fortunately to write a couple of books in the last couple of years and it's an amazing experience to go through that. But I think everybody can do that. I agree with the reading part, but when you actually write yourself, it really gets you thinking and gets you motivated and really gets you going. Also, from a book standpoint, I'm real old school, sorry to say. The autobiography of Malcolm X everybody's got to have read. That is not only extremely powerful to me. Even the time frame that people say it written it definitely applies to the day also. So that's one that I always turn to and the one that's always been meaning for me.
Speaker 1:So, bobby, before we go, I didn't know you were author. I think you're also a dancer one day too, but I'm not gonna go back there. Bobby, talk about the books that you've written, because I didn't know you had books. Maybe we'll start reading one of those in the book club. Tell me about.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you read in the book club because they're all public education related right now.
Speaker 1:That's fine. Listen, I'm setting up for an education and entrepreneurship mini series as well too. So education is big. To talk about your education books.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the one that we've done the one I've done is we just finished the other one two years ago. They're both about public education, the more that the main ones are public education, the San Antonio area. We actually captured the whole history of how education began in San Antonio Longstreet and how things are divided by the river Blacks on one side, whites on the other things. But we also showed in that book how the education challenges today really aren't any different than they were in the 1700s. So we sort of tell that story on why, where there was major challenge and other type things in that particular regard.
Speaker 2:So from the historical sake and those we worked with, it's pretty powerful in that particular regard. But it also goes into talking about every single school district in San Antonio, how they came to be, why they came to be, their whole history, where they currently are, etc. So it's more along the lines of data references type books than it is literature per se. We wrote two. The first one I wrote 10 years ago and we had some challenges that were occurring with people challenging what was going on in San Antonio Education, why. And then we did the other one two years ago. Just more promotion to explain what was going on in education wise in San Antonio.
Speaker 1:So, kara and Bobby, thank you for joining us both for an entrepreneurial appetite. Bobby, I know that you're a writer. Kara, I know that you're a reader. If y'all want to join the book club we meet the last Thursday of every month. We try to have an author or an entrepreneur conversation. Most of the time it's an author, so just be on a lookout for that.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having us Thanks for having us.
Speaker 2:Good to see you, guys.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining this edition of entrepreneurial appetite. If you like the episode, you can support the show by becoming one of our founding 55 patrons, which gives you access to our live discussions and bonus materials, or you can subscribe to the show. Get us five stars and leave a comment.