Diane Bell-McKoy

Associated Black Charities

Tackling problems of entrenched poverty, access to better jobs and improved educational opportunities in communities of color requires thinking outside the box.

And for Diane Bell-McKoy, president and CEO of Associated Black Charities in Baltimore, it means realizing outcomes for the benefit of the greater good by fostering every individual ´s particular gifts.

“That´s what drives me, knowing how we as a collective can benefit,” she said.

For example, many people probably wouldn’t believe the types of well-paying opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields that are available in Baltimore without requiring a college degree, she said.

At the same time, there needs to be a greater understanding in the broader community about the barriers that exist for individuals in the black community that result from historic, structural racism, Bell-McKoy said. While well-meaning, many people don´t know, for instance, about how people of color were essentially shut out of the benefits of the GI Bill following World  War II and how that lack of access to a higher education affects the community today.

“We mistakenly believe that having good will is good enough,” she said.

Understanding such barriers at the systems and policy levels, then, is essential to making the future look brighter, Bell-McKoy said. Further, understanding the level of investment, and the potential returns on such investment, would bring to people of color is vital to connecting people to the types of opportunities that will help them rise up the economic ladder.

“We have to invest to make a difference,” she said.