By Gerald Brown
To commemorate Black History Month, the World Bank’s Archives department released an article titled “Rising Together: The Creation and Legacy of the World Bank Group-IMF Staff African American Association” (WBG-IMF AAA) that celebrated the establishment and enduring impact of the association. The association was formed to foster a community of African American staff and supporters within the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund. Its aim is to promote intellectual, cultural, and social interests, and enhance employment, training, and career opportunities for African Americans within the twin institutions, as well as effect positive change and enlightenment through outreach and advocacy within the neighboring community.
The WBG-IMF Staff African American Association’s inception on May 17, 1999, on the 45th Anniversary of Brown vs Board of Education was marked by a significant event, as this was the date of the 1954 landmark decision that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The case was led by Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, who lived in Southwest DC. The pivotal event included Shengman Zhang, Bank’s Managing Director, and Elaine Wolfensohn, spouse of the late Bank President James Wolfensohn, delivering opening remarks.
The association’s first president, Thelma D. Jones and a longtime Southwest resident, played a pivotal role in its formation and growth. Under her leadership, the association embraced numerous volunteer projects, charitable works, and community outreach programs. One notable initiative was the Bank’s institutional outreach program, co-founded by Jones in 1998, aimed at making the Bank more accessible to local underserved students and giving them exposure to its global activities. This program included school visits, student job shadowing, career awareness days, and internships, with notable senior officials actively participating.
The association also established a Howard University internship program with support from the late Ofield Dukes, a prominent Southwest DC resident. Another long-standing area of community involvement of the association is the Computer for Kids Computing Training Program, launched in 2007 by the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly Youth Activities Task Force (SWNA YATF). The Association provided high caliber classes with cultural sensitivity.
The association has received consistent support from Bank management, including active participation and statements of endorsement at various events. Since the death of George Floyd in May 2020, the association has been working in partnership with other Bank and Fund employee resource groups as a single entity called “One Voice” to engage senior management and ensure the implementation of concrete actions towards eradicating racism and inequities within the institutions.
Today, the WBG-IMF Staff AAA continues to positively impact the Bank-Fund environment, connecting African American staff and supporters, and driving institutional change and remaining actively involved in outreach activities in the community, especially in Southwest DC where Jones resides and serves as the association’s president emerita. The association’s efforts have not only fostered a sense of community but also contributed to the broader mission of improving lives at a grassroots level.
Gerald Brown is an Analyst at the World Bank for more than 30 years. He served as a volunteer senior computer instructor for the SWNA YATF Computer for Kids Computing Program for nearly 15 years. Brown is currently the Interim President of the WBG-IMF Staff African American Association.