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TO BE RATHER THAN TO SEEM REFLECTIONS ON RACE IN NORTH CAROLINA 2001 Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation AnnualReport Contents 02 President’s Letter 04 Changes in the Board of Trustees 05 Officers, Trustees, Advisory Panel & Staff 06 Executive Director’s Letter 08 Reflections on Race in North Carolina 10 Race & the Paradox Holding the Paradox: Race and Progress in North Carolina Leslie Takahashi Morris 14 Along the Lumbee Donna Chavis 16 Race & Education Leslie Winner 24 Race & Economics Martin Eakes 30 Race & Justice Shirley Fulton 36 Race & Politics and Leadership Ferrel Guillory 44 Race & Religion and Culture Dr. David Moore 50 Friendship Is a Way of Life Carroll Leggett 54 Defining the Focus of Our Grantsmaking Goals of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation 60 Grant Listings 70 Grant Application Guidelines 72 Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards 73 Sabbaticals 74 Financial Statement Statement on Inclusiveness The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation places a higher value on developing was established more than 65 years new programs than on sustaining ago for the benefit of the people of well-established ones, regardless of North Carolina. In its charter, the how worthy they may be. To accom- founders – Dick, Mary, and Nancy plish its purpose, the Foundation Reynolds – set forth the currently gives special attention to Foundation’s purpose in clear and certain focus areas – community simple language: “The object for building and economic development; which this corporation is formed is the environment; governance, public the accomplishment of charitable policy and civic engagement; pre-col- works in the state of North legiate education; and social justice Carolina.” and equity. Endowment and brick- and-mortar projects receive low No other general purpose foundation priority from the Foundation. in the country as large as the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation – its two Headquartered in Winston-Salem, trusts have approximately $411 mil- where it was founded in 1936, the lion in assets – has a legal mandate to Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation accepts make grants within a single state. proposals for grants twice a year, by February 1 for consideration in May While the geographic boundary is and by August 1 for consideration in firm, the Foundation’s grantsmaking November. strives to be far-reaching. It often seeks to initiate rather than to react, to question rather than to accept, to challenge rather than to affirm. In working to enhance the quality of life in North Carolina, the Foundation Zachary Smith Reynolds 1911-1932 The object for which this corporation is formed is the accomplishment of charitable works in the state of North Carolina. President’s Letter In our 1999 annual report, the Foundation asked out- Perhaps for the first time in the state’s history, the standing North Carolinians, including the Rev. W. establishment – from top to bottom – was forced to listen W. Finlator of Raleigh, who has spent decades working and respond, and we got serious about problems such as to improve race relations in our state, to share their poverty and equal opportunity. We moved forward, and ideas of what it means to be a North Carolinian. the challenge since – and the challenge to this Foundation today – is to help keep the state moving forward. I was struck by Dr. Finlator’s concluding statement. “I want it known,” he said, “that the people of North As I have begun to write, it has occurred to me that it is Carolina – regardless of how much and strongly they may no longer enough to talk about race relations. Our state have dissented – have listened to me….” I wondered why has become so diverse that we must think more broad- this man, who often was rebuffed and reviled, thought it ly. Race and skin color no longer are all that divide us. was important that people had listened. We must think, also, about improving cultural relations. He ended by saying, “Here it is my state – where I wish In the 1960s, the Foundation was a catalyst that helped 02 that all people might work out their own salvation, the leaders emerge and become champions of equal rights weak growing strong and the strong growing great.” and opportunity. In this first decade of the new century, I hope we can do the same for the various cultural groups I recalled this statement recently when a friend asked that are helping build the North Carolina of the future. me who had the greatest influence on my attitude about race relations. I replied, “My mother,” and then I paused The simple truth is that there are differences – major dif- to ask myself why I had given this spontaneous ferences – between us, and we have to acknowledge that response. “My mother,” I continued, “because of her diversity, talk about it, and capitalize on it. But we have own open-mindedness and her insistence that we listen been distracted. We have wrestled with a changing and respect other people’s points of view. She never said economy; catastrophic floods in the East that sapped we had to agree, but she did say we had to listen.” state resources and energy; a recession that has kept us scrambling just to maintain the economic status quo; My mother, Anne Reynolds Forsyth, daughter of Z. Smith September 11; and now a monumental state budget crisis. Reynolds and long a stalwart of this Foundation, knows something. She knows that listening is the first step There has been little talk about racial and cultural rela- toward understanding, and that understanding is an tions, and when people have talked, few people have essential part of building positive human relationships taken time to listen. And underlying everything has and achieving social and economic progress. She knows been the belief – perhaps hope – that all is well. How can what Dr. Finlator knows – that if people of different it be? Improving race relations is not a sometime thing. races and ethnic and cultural backgrounds really listen We can’t skip a decade or a generation and expect to to each other, they can solve the problems that plague keep making progress. generation after generation. I realize now why Dr. Finlator attached such importance to the fact that North The Foundation has made race relations one of its main Carolinians at least had listened to him during the concerns – encouraging groups at the local level to keep “turbulent 1960s” and since. talking to each other, listening to each other and crafting innovative programs to bring us all closer During those “turbulent 1960s,” the Z. Smith Reynolds together. I give credit to our Advisory Panel – one of the Foundation stepped forward and created The North Foundation’s greatest resources – for helping keep race Carolina Fund, which helped empower people in low- relations in the forefront. resource communities – African American, White, Native American – and helped them find their voices. This diverse group of North Carolinians keeps us The simple truth is that there are differences – major differences – between us, and we have to acknowledge that diversity, talk about it, and capitalize on it. attuned, presents the Trustees with various perspec- We must identify and develop leadership within minority tives, and often prompts us to action. communities – especially the rapidly growing Latino community. It is important that we bring together leaders On the recommendation of the Advisory Panel two years from the various racial, ethnic and cultural groups and ago, we allocated $1 million for a special race relations foster dialogue between them. If there are festering con- initiative, “Race Will Not Divide Us.” We funded proj- cerns, let’s lay them on the table and deal with them. ects across the state that not only furthered race rela- We must not make the mistake of assuming that tions in the communities where they were implemented because things are relatively quiet, all is well. And cer- but also could be replicated in other communities. One tainly the political leadership at the local and state lev- of those projects, CommonVisions, sponsored by the els should bring the leadership from the various minori- Randolph Arts Guild, used pictures taken by partici- ties into the decision-making process. pants to prompt discussions on diversity. Photographs used in that initiative are featured in this report. It is mutually beneficial to have everyone participate fully in our society, earn a living wage, and have access Earlier I said that we cannot skip a decade or a genera- to resources, especially educational institutions and 03 tion in race relations efforts and expect to keep moving healthcare, that can better them and their children. If forward. I want to elaborate. we allow an underclass to develop – either by design or neglect – we will pay for it dearly. I, for one, am com- I think we should view with concern the phenomenon mitted to helping prevent the development of an under- that is occurring in our public school systems that often class and ensuring fair and honest treatment and full is described as resegregation. Especially in our urban participation for all in our society. It is right; it is systems, schools increasingly are becoming predomi- moral; and, furthermore, it is in our own self-interest. nantly White or Black or Black/Latino. Some argue this is the natural result of the desire to attend neighborhood The Foundation is looking at the issue of racial and cul- schools. In my mind, it is much more complicated. tural relations in the broadest context. It is a priority under the category of “Community Building and Regardless, the fact that children of different races and Economic Development,” and nothing would please cultures during their formative years are having signifi- Trustees more than a flood of thoughtful, innovative cantly fewer contacts with each other on a daily basis grant proposals to strengthen the fabric of our society bodes ill for the future of race relations in North and make this state a national model for inclusiveness Carolina.

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