Welcome Back, Giving Black Family! 

In this special Emancipation Day and Black Philanthropy Month edition of The Giving Black Podcast, I interview my friend, brother and mentor, Ray Williams. I have known Ray for as long as I have lived in Canada (16 years). We speak about the recipe for success of the Black Opportunity Fund (BOF), the organization that Ray co-founded and currently chairs. BOF is a social innovation established to increase the flows of revenue into Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused (B3) organizations. 

Our conversation returns to a single theme, food as philanthropy. Ray and I bond over our love of food and our introduction to generosity being the dinner table of four friends and their families. Interestingly, our shared roots in South London, form the drivers of his personal approach to philanthropy: food, compassion, and kindness. Whether it's Ray's love for cooking, his connection to George Brown College, where he serves on the board and has earned his culinary arts certificate; Ray elaborates on how food can also open the door to our generosity. Today, Ray is a fundraiser and donor to the Culinary Arts Program at George Brown College. 

We talk about ways to drive more funds in to B3 organizations and support philanthropic participation in Black communities, as well as our families "back home", and our religious faith-based organizations. 

Ray recently retired as a financial services executive after more than 35 years of experience in Global Capital Markets, during which time he held leadership roles in marketing, trading, risk advisory & execution as well as securitization. Ray is also an Executive-in-Residence at Rotman School of Management and is on the board of the 100 Strong Foundation, where he and I both serve. 

Ray's energy and passion for community comes through loud and clear in this Special Episode. We close our conversation with the declaration that we need to build and support more Black entrepreneurs for Black philanthropy to grow. 

I hope you enjoy listening to this Special Edition podcast. I especially hope you feel the joy in the conversation between Ray and me. I love Ray's reflection that there's is a reason why there is joy on his face. Philanthropy has the power to make us happy! Click here to learn more about Ray and The Black Opportunity Fund.