Black History and Futures Month offers a time to reflect on leadership, advocacy, and community care across generations. We invited Metta Fund board member Thurman V. White Jr. to share his reflections on leadership, place, and what gives him hope.
What does Black History Month mean to you in the context of aging and community care?
Black History Month –also known by some as “Black Futures Month – is a celebration of the past accomplishments of African Americans in the U.S. and around the world, and a look ahead to the future we want to create. For me, in the context of aging and community care, this year is special for Black History because it marks the 100th anniversary of the celebration. Just as Metta Fund works to ensure that San Franciscans can age and thrive with dignity and continued vitality, our celebration of Black History Month helps us understand and celebrate the joys of our past and the opportunities to continue making history today and tomorrow so that the full promise of America can be achieved. This is true for our seniors and their lives, and for our community partners as well. We celebrate them at Metta Fund and work to help them achieve the full promise of their respective lives.
How has your background in finance shaped the way you think about advancing equity in aging?
Most of my career in finance was spent advancing equity in finance. We did this by building a diverse, first-class business, creating opportunities for other small, female-led, and people of color-led investment managers to manage assets for large institutions, and helping these small firms build sustainable businesses. In that way, we demonstrated that equity and investment excellence are not mutually exclusive. So, Metta Fund’s work to empower San Francisco seniors – especially those who are often overlooked or left behind – to thrive as they age and to bolster the community partners who serve them is work to which I can bring my lived experience, and a mission with which I am fully aligned. As we advance equity in aging, the entire community is enhanced, and all of us have a richer quality of life because everyone can thrive and contribute to society through all the seasons of life. Finally, I’m bringing my prior experience to a new process at Metta Fund to create a fully mission-aligned pool of foundation assets. This will help us foster innovative ways to ensure our financial leverage and organizational impact extends beyond annual grantmaking to our entire asset pool, so it works 24/7 to enhance equity, achieve competitive returns, and further our foundation’s mission.
What gives you hope right now?
At my core, my faith in God always gives me joy and hope. Next, my family gives me hope – I’m a husband, father, and grandfather. My wife, Eileen, and I have 12 multiracial grandchildren. When I see them, I’m hopeful that some of the foundational work of our ancestors, and now my generation, will provide a basis for their lives to be all they can be in what is and will be a globally diverse world. One of my favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes is this: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?” In this “third” of my life, I try to live focused on God, family, and helping others – the latter through a variety of activities. Despite the chaos around us emanating from Washington, DC, I am hopeful. At Metta Fund, we have the privilege to be of service — to “bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.” I’m thankful to play a small role in this work.