Alan Mills: We Must Open Doors for All People In our Society
Alan Mills, local attorney and longtime donor to United Way, sat down with us in his art-filled office at Barnes and Thornburg and talked about his passion for a more inclusive, supportive community.
I was the first African American associate hired at my firm. The year was 1982, and yes, I’ll never forget walking into the office on that first day. I was nervous and overwhelmed with a sense of community. I was prepared to do battle. My colleagues were incredibly supportive, but I must admit, diversity and inclusion were new concepts for the workplace back then. One evening, several partners and I were watching Monday Night Football, and someone made a racist remark about one of the African American players on the field. One of my closest colleagues calmly put his hand over my hand, knowing that I was about to lose my cool. He simply whispered to me, “Alan, you will outlive him, and you will be a leader in this firm one day.” My colleague wanted me to hold my anger at that time and moment and re-channel it for a greater purpose. Thirty years later, he was right, and I told him so in a hand-written note.
In my family, we faced racial and gender issues everywhere. We were a military family living in all parts of the world in the sixties. Dealing with racial discrimination was just one part of what life was like for us. I also think about my sisters who were naturally competitive but couldn’t get involved in sports activities because of their gender. There was no Title IX back then. When I promote diversity and inclusion in my community and in my work life, I think of my father, a Korean War veteran, who said, “Son, I’m not going to tell you that, as a black man, this society doesn’t owe you anything. It does. What I am going to tell you is that I don’t think you should expect to collect anything. Go out there and get what you want.”
United Way touched my life before I ever gave it a dollar. My wife and I were called to adoption. We adopted our two children from the Homes for Black Children (today, United Way partner agency, the Children’s Bureau). I see it this way: United Way blessed me with my children. I see so much “lip service” being paid to what happens to children in the womb, but what about when they are outside the world, speaking, trying to learn, trying to navigate whatever circumstances their parents might be in? How we treat children in this society is extremely important to me.
Bill Mays once told me, “Much is given to you, and much is expected of you.” Those were wise words. Bill Mays and Dr. Frank Lloyd were my mentors, and they emphasized philanthropy as a way to nurture ourselves spiritually and emotionally. As a kid from a military family who lived all over the world – and in some of the poorest areas in southeast Asia – I certainly saw first-hand the need to support our children. Eventually, through Bill Mays’ urging, I joined the Minority Key Club of United Way – one of Bill’s most profound legacies. And then I was asked to rise to the occasion and join the Meridian Society, thanks to Don Knebel’s invitation. In philanthropy, it’s really important to ask people. Don’t wait for them to volunteer.
We need to act now. Certain parts of our society still feel left behind. The Civil Rights Act was a significant start in this country to create a “new normal” for millions of people. We have come so far in creating laws that end all forms of discrimination – but we are not done yet. People are realizing that these efforts in diversity are opening all doors to all people. Our community is better when we find ways for all people to be a part of it. As a city, we have leaders who have made tremendous things happen in sports – we’ve built stadiums, led major, even *super* events – and that’s a great thing. Now, we need to take that energy, that intellect, those resources, and put it head-first into human services. We need our kids to graduate, improve literacy rates, combat our drug crisis, improve relationships and trust between residents and our police force – and so much more. These issues affect what Indy and the state looks like in the 21st century. We have the people to do it. But now is the question: Do we have the will?