Grantmakers in the News
January 1, 2004
Ray Charles has donated $1 million to Dillard University in New Orleans to
establish a program in African-American culture. According to Dillard spokeswoman Maureen
Larkins, the gift will create an endowed faculty position and program devoted to the musical,
culinary, artistic, and linguistic contributions of African Americans.
The singer donated the money in the name of the Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders,
which he founded in 1987 for the treatment and research of hearing disorders. The donation was
presented to the University in October 2004. To avoid fanfare, the University waited until
November to announce the source of the gift.
According to Dr. Danille Taylor, Dean of the Division of Humanities at Dillard, Charles was
specific about the use of the donation. The funds will be used for community events,
preservation, faculty and student research, for courses, and for an additional faculty member to
manage the project.
Dr. Taylor feels a study in material culture will bring intellectual credibility to the
everyday traditions of African Americans. The study will show how African Americans can take
lowly items and create a gourmet dish. Music will also be put into context as it pertains to
daily life in the African American household.
The Division of Humanities expects to consider video, oral history and library cataloging for
researchers as a way to preserve those recipes and musical traditions that the study will
uncover.
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