Charlotte, N.C./Nov. 28, 2022 – August is Black Philanthropy Month, a time to recognize the importance of Black philanthropists in advancing Black organizations, institutions and causes. Shirley J. Hughes, the first woman to serve as chair of the Johnson C. Smith University Board of Trustees, is a noted philanthropist in her hometown of Minneapolis and endows a scholarship at JCSU. She was inducted in JCSU’s Golden Bull Giving Society, which honors donors who have given from $100,000 to $499,000 to the University.
Chair Hughes and members of her family are known as trailblazers, groundbreakers and ceiling breakers for being “the first Black person” to achieve several noteworthy educational, professional and social accomplishments in Minneapolis and the Midwest. She was recently featured in the Spring 2020 edition of Minneapolis’ Lake Society Magazine in recognition of her philanthropic contributions and her family history. In the article, she tells what her philanthropic efforts mean to her.
You can read the full article about this impressive woman who leads our Board of Trustees.