FAQS

Frequently asked question

What is the mission of INSPIRE®?

The INSPIRE Campaign℠ Invites New, Substantial, Personal Investment in Racial Equity from Americans committed to ending the disparities that plague our society and belie the “self-evident truths” that “all [people] are created equal.” Supporters recognize that this country’s 400-year history of enslavement, Jim Crow segregation and persistent racism still fundamentally limit the “unalienable rights” of Black Americans to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” and to an equal opportunity to accumulate wealth. Learn more…

The INSPIRE Campaign℠ embraces Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s challenge that “White Americans must recognize that justice for Black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society.” Beyond the efforts of government, foundations, universities, and companies, individual citizens must also play a role in confronting the racial wealth gap to realize Dr. King’s dream. At a time when education about America’s racial history is under attack, the INSPIRE Campaign℠ has two objectives:
   • to mobilize and educate white people to confront the legacy and impact of enslavement, segregation and racism on the accumulation of wealth in America; and
   • to accelerate efforts to close the racial wealth gap through voluntary contributions of at least 1% of net worth by white individuals to Black-led equity-building initiatives.

INSPIRE has been funded exclusively through the voluntary financial contributions of our initial supporters, and a generous matching donation from a major donor. Those funds have been invested in development of this website, and in payments to consultants who have helped research and organize this campaign.

The racial wealth gap is a manifestation of historical policies, exacerbated by intergenerational wealth transfer, that explain why the median White family owns eight times more wealth ($184,000) than the median Black family ($23,000). For centuries, Black people were denied compensation for their labor, denied the opportunity to pass wealth on to their children, and denied the education, jobs and access to capital by which other Americans accumulated wealth. The INSPIRE Campaign℠ is an effort to start righting this wrong through voluntary contributions to Black-led organizations and initiatives that confront the modern vestiges of systemic racism by building Black wealth.

There is no question that all Americans, regardless of race, gender or class, deserve educational opportunity and access to capital that allow them to build wealth. However, white people have never been systematically deprived of access to these tools in the same ways that Black people have, through enslavement, segregation, redlining and modern forms of discrimination. INSPIRE® believes that a more equitable society will only be possible when the obstacles to Black economic opportunity are confronted and removed.

Again, all Americans, regardless of race, gender or class, deserve educational opportunity and access to capital that allow them to build wealth. As with the Black community, these tools have been denied in varying ways to Native Americans, immigrant groups and other sectors of our population. INSPIRE® acknowledges and respects a range of efforts that exist to address these historical injustices and stands in solidarity with these efforts. We have concentrated our efforts on the Black community on the advice of experts and elders from other groups who suggest that the campaign will be more impactful by maintaining a narrow focus.

Efforts to address systemic challenges are often shaped by “outside experts” who think they know what is best for others. INSPIRE® has built an multi-racial board committed to being accountable to the Black community. We follow an agenda proposed by the Black Economic Alliance and endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus, and INSPIRE® aims to build support for Black-led organizations that invest in homeownership, entrepreneurship, education and job training and other strategies to build wealth in the Black community and to close the racial wealth gap. Finally, we do not advertise the names of donors to minimize performative pledging.

The first letter in the INSPIRE® acronym stands for “inviting.” The campaign is not an effort to induce blame or guilt. Instead, we are reaching out to build an affinity group of fellow citizens who recognize that investing in a more equitable society will build a much better future for all Americans. INSPIRE® was launched by white Americans who believe that we still benefit economically from historical and modern systems that discriminate against our Black neighbors. Our focus is on establishing a society grounded in equality of opportunity. By understanding and acknowledging the past, together we can build a better future.

Thank you for your interest in donating to the INSPIRE campaign. 

You can send donations via Zelle to donation@theinspirecampaign.org or mail us a physical check to: 

INSPIRE Equity, Inc.
88 Shepherd Village Circle
Shepherdstown, WV 25443

Please send us your name and snail/email address to donation@theinspirecampaign.org so we can send you a receipt for your tax deductible donation.
Jamie Campbell Board Member
Jamie Campbell, Ph.D., CDE, is the Associate Dean of Diversity Enhancement Programs at the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. Jamie has had a career working with underrepresented persons in academia and corporate America. He has helped to define and shape policy supporting the advancement of individuals who may not have been afforded opportunities to reach their full potential due to systemic barriers. Jamie obtained his BA from Morehouse College, M.Ed., Central Michigan University, and Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University. Jamie and Kimberly reside in State College PA with their three daughters, Grace, Vivian, and Lillian. He joined the INSPIRE board to help close the wealth gap that African Americans are facing today through words and actions.
Peter O’Driscoll Chair of the Board
Peter O’Driscoll has been executive director of Equitable Food Initiative since 2011, where he leads a multi-stakeholder collaboration to improve wages and working conditions for agricultural labor throughout the Americas. After earning a bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard College and a master’s in economic development from Columbia University, Peter’s prior career covered advocacy, research and program management in several nonprofit organizations focused on humanitarian assistance, refugee relief and international food system reform. He lives with his wife Christine Reesor in Takoma Park, MD, where they raised two daughters. Peter helped to found INSPIRE in 2020 out of a conviction that true racial reconciliation in America requires that our society confront and address the historical inequities that created today’s egregious Black-White racial wealth gap.