Celebrating Black Philanthropy Month 2026: Black Health Is Black Wealth Across Connecticut

Black Health is Black Wealth celebrates the power of philanthropy to strengthen Black communities through mental wellness, maternal health and collective care.

Join us online for an inspiring discussion as we explore how generosity and innovative practices create healthier families, stronger futures, and lasting change.

Presented in partnership by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven; Connecticut Community Foundation; Fairfield County's Community Foundation; and Greater Hartford Gives Foundation.

For questions or changes in registration, please contact Carmen Burgos.

Panelists 

Althea Marshall Brooks, executive director of Waterbury Bridge to Success (BTS) is guided by an ardent commitment to holistic excellence and service. Prior to BTS, she served as the New Haven Public Schools Director of Coordinated School Health. The Waterbury native earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut; a Master of Science from Southern Connecticut State University; and a Master of Divinity from Yale University.

Dr. Charles C. Morgan, is the founder and president of Sawubona, Inc., a not-for-profit group focused on the mental health and resiliency of youth in Bridgeport utilizing creative expression. He is the former Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Bridgeport Hospital for 20 years. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from City College of the City University of New York and received an M.D. from Cornell University Medical College in 1983.

Lee Morgan, Ph.D., is the Senior Learning & Evaluation Officer at Greater Hartford Gives, where he helps lead the organization’s monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts. Dr. Morgan is the creator of the Renfaut™ praxis paradigm and the developer of the R.I.S.E. Index™, both of which advance equity-centered leadership and systems transformation.

Natasha Ray, M.S., is the director of New Haven Healthy Start at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and a longtime healthcare and family advocate in New Haven. Ray established the Maternal and Child Health Consortium, involving residents, medical providers and other community-based organizations in creating a community-driven approach to reducing the infant mortality rates in New Haven.

Moderator

Dr. Leon Bailey Jr., MPA, DMIN, SVP for human resources and organizational culture at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, holds a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University in Psychology; a Masters in Public Administration from New York University; and a Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary.

About Black Philanthropy Month

Observed every August, Black Philanthropy Month (BPM) is a global celebration and concerted campaign to elevate African-descent giving and funding equity. BPM was incubated and started in 2001 by its Founder, Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland, with the support of Reunity (formerly the Pan-African Women's Philanthropy Network) and officially launched in 2011. A new organizing concept frames the BPM campaign each year. The theme for 2026 is "Many Voices. One Movement."