Nov 12, 2021
A Gift of Belief: Philanthropy and the Forging of Pittsburgh chronicles the rich but largely untold story of the diverse and lesser known philanthropists whose legacy shaped the region.
This season of Speaking of Change invites philanthropic practitioners and community leaders to comment on the book's themes and draw parallels and lessons to inform current practice.
Pittsburgh and the word philanthropy are often inextricably linked. Ask a Pittsburgher to define philanthropy and most often you’ll hear name like Carnegie, or a financier called Mellon. These captains of industry endowed Pittsburgh with numerous cultural and educational institutions. Their legacies endure in Pittsburgh today – so much so that many residents think these titans invented philanthropy in the region.
In fact, they did not. Instead, these wealthy
industrialists joined an already vital tradition of individuals,
communities and congregations who pre-ceded and succeeded
them. In
A Gift of Belief, 12 authors show how women, African
Americans whole communities and many individuals worked alongside
and sometimes in place of the titans to improve Pittsburgh.
Taken
together, our more expansive treatment illustrates how both groups
contributed to Pittsburgh’s philanthropy and civic culture.
Book editor Kathy Buechel sits down with chapter author Greg Witkowski of Columbia University to discuss Pittsburgh's titans of philanthropy what made them tick. Greg's chapter sketched how they differed from their industrialist peers in their giving and specifically, in how they framed their philanthropic support of education. Kathy and Greg sit down in this episode to dig into the details and hear lesser known parts of how the titans approached their philanthropy, and how history remembers them.