A major autobiography of a remarkable life that broke down racial barriers, transformed institutions, and energized the struggle for justice, by the former president of the Ford Foundation

"Frank has that quality of honesty and authenticity and people trusted him . . . and because very disparate people trusted him, he could bring them together across their differences."
--Gloria Steinem

Franklin Thomas was one of the most influential people of our time. As former president of the Ford Foundation (the first African American to hold this position), former president of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (the first community development organization of its kind), member of countless corporate boards, and a key player in facilitating the end of the apartheid era in South Africa, Thomas shaped public policy, philanthropy, and the movement for human rights for over half a century.

An Unplanned Life offers an insider's account of some of the most crucial transformations of the contemporary era: efforts to rebuild America's cities, struggles to reform philanthropy, and the quest to establish a global order based on human rights and racial equity. As a story of firsts, Franklin's memoir also chronicles a formative era, when a generation of African Americans first broke through into the halls of power, navigating complicated and sometimes treacherous cultural and political currents.

Much of Franklin Thomas's life was marked by his desire to stay out of the spotlight, and to let his accomplishments speak for themselves. Now, in An Unplanned Life, we have Thomas's full story, in all of its nuance, drama, and richly narrated detail.

Author: Franklin A. Thomas
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: New Press
Published: 12/13/2022
Pages: 304
Weight: 1.1lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.30w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781620977576


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 08/01/2022 pg. 107
Publishers Weekly 10/10/2022
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2022

About the Author
Franklin A. Thomas's career spanned many civic roles, from assistant U.S. attorney to president and CEO of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. In 1979, he was named president of the Ford Foundation, where he served until 1996. The author of An Unplanned Life (The New Press), he lived in New York City until his death in 2021.