Philanthropy conference focuses on educating children

Menino urges freeing up funds

Mayor Thomas M. Menino with George Russell Jr., president of State Street Foundation, and others at the Black Philanthropy "Building Stronger Communities" Conference. (GEORGE RIZER/GLOBE STAFF)

Mayor Thomas M. Menino urged leaders of black community organizations to work together more closely and consolidate administrative functions to free up more money for educating Boston's youngest, most vulnerable children.

"We don't invest enough resources in education," Menino said at the Black Philanthropy "Building Stronger Communities" Conference at John Hancock Hall. "We have got to be smarter about how we invest in kids."

Menino told a small gathering of grant makers, philanthropists, business leaders, and researchers that children under age 14 are being led astray - specifically citing violent television programming - and that more should be done to create a better image of minority success in the city.

The mayor also said that organizations that focus on similar neighborhood issues, such as healthcare or education, should combine administrative staffs to save money and put more funding into neighborhoods.

"It can happen, but we have to be able to check egos at the door," Menino said. He elaborated after the speech, saying: "Look at the disparities and the gaps. I think we have the power to close them, but we must do it as one force. "

The conference, hosted by New England Blacks in Philanthropy, is a three-day event to develop new strategies for spending billions of dollars in assets held by the region's black community. Sessions will focus on a number of areas, including the dwindling numbers of black grant makers in senior management positions, both on corporate boards and at foundations; the effect of hip-hop culture on educational success; and persistent health disparities.

Bithiah L. Carter, president of the organization, said the goal of the event is to better understand how neighborhood problems relate to each other, for example, how a disease may prevent a child from going to school. There is an urgent need to reorganize and unify charitable giving across the city and among racial groups to better target the issues, she said.

"Kids are suffering, and we can't look at it as race or class," Carter said after the mayor's speech. "We know black children are suffering, but if we lift their boat, we'll be lifting everyone's boat, because it's one community."

Christopher Baxter can be reached at cbaxter@globe.com.