Coalition Urges United Way Boycott

Charging that employee donations by African-Americans to the United Way of Greater Los Angeles are not benefiting black social service agencies, a coalition of community groups last week called for a boycott of donations to the charity.

The boycott, organized by the South-Central-based Brotherhood Crusade, seeks to persuade black employees of utility companies such as Pacific Bell, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas, General Electric and AT&T; to cease contributions to the United Way through annual payroll deductions.

Danny Bakewell, president and chief executive officer of the Brotherhood Crusade, charged that the United Way has established a monopoly on charitable giving through employee payroll deductions and that the majority of money raised from African-Americans does not return to their community.

“We are asking African-American employees to withhold giving to the United Way and give instead to the Brotherhood Crusade,” Bakewell said. “The United Way should not get the benefit of black dollars because that money is not trickling down to the black community.”

Bakewell alleged that the United Way of Greater Los Angeles raises $8 million annually from African-Americans and returns less than $3 million to nonprofit agencies serving blacks. United Way officials dismissed those allegations and said they do not track donations by race.

“Mr. Bakewell’s estimates are wrong by our records,” said Herbert Carter, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

Carter said $8 million of the $34.1 million distributed by his organization in 1991 was given to agencies that serve African-Americans.

More than 150 protesters demonstrated Thursday in front of Pacific Bell’s Downtown corporate headquarters. The protest was organized by the Brotherhood Crusade and a coalition of 100 community-based groups and politicians, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), the Rev. E. V. Hill of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church and the Rev. Carl Bean of the Minority AIDS Project and Unity Fellowship.