Debut
Tyrone McKinley Freeman
Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Ph.D., is the grandson, son, nephew and cousin of African American Baptist preachers and First Ladies. His experiences growing up in the Black Church influence his storytelling and writings about the history of African American philanthropy. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI where he writes about the history of philanthropy, African American philanthropy, and philanthropy and higher education.
Previously, Tyrone was a professional fundraiser in community development, youth and family social services, and higher education organizations in central Indiana. He was also Associate Director of The Fund Raising School where he trained nonprofit leaders in the United States, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Tyrone grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, and is a proud graduate of a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). He earned a B.A. in English/Liberal Arts from Lincoln University (PA), a Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning from Ball State University, an M.S. in Adult Education, and a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University. He lives in central Indiana with his wife, Michelle; their two children, Alexander and Olivia; and their two dogs, Oscar and Callie.
2022 Debut Shortlist: Madam C. J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy During Jim Crow
Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow (University of Illinois Press, 2020), reexamines the life and generosity of the adopted Hoosier entrepreneur who became known as America’s first self-made female millionaire. Tyrone McKinley Freeman tells the story of the origins and motivations for her philanthropic giving and engagement in the early twentieth-century fight against the racist and sexist American system of Jim Crow segregation. By embedding Walker within networks and communities of generous Black women, Tyrone identifies and elevates the long-standing cultural tradition of philanthropic giving among African Americans since the earliest days of slavery. Walker-descendant biographer and native Hoosier A’Lelia Bundles said that Freeman’s book “exceeded my expectations by exploring new dimensions of Walker as a philanthropist and educator. His work opens the doors for a more inclusive and more meaningful analysis so that Black philanthropy is a feature rather than a footnote of American philanthropy.
