Dan Coleman

Dan Coleman A73 grew up in Tampa’s historically Black communities, where he thrived in the local schools and recognized as an exceptional academic talent. At the urging of his teachers, he applied for an Upward Bound program and received a spot at Philips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, for his senior year of high school. He went on to study at Tufts, where he joined the staff collective of the Observer and was co-chair of the Afro-American Society’s labor committee.

In 1969, Tufts contracted with Volpe Construction, a local construction company that hired very few Black workers, to build Lewis Hall. The Afro-American Society listed eight demands for the administration, including a demand that Volpe hire more Black workers and Tufts work with the Afro-American Society to make sure Black workers were treated fairly. After Volpe refused to negotiate in good faith and the administration did not take action, the Afro-American Society organized a work stoppage. On November 5, 1969, 200 Black students from Tufts and other area schools blocked entrances to Lewis Hall and forced Volpe to call a no-work day. Tufts University then filed restraining orders against protest leaders, including Coleman. In response, 900 students at Tufts voted to go on strike. Negotiations between the administration and the Afro-American Society continued until November 14, when President Hallowell and Afro-American Society leaders released a memorandum of understanding, ending the strike. Although the strike and work stoppage were the most famous actions Coleman was involved in, he also participated in protests when popular education professor Chick Yeager was denied tenure. Coleman graduated with a degree in history in 1973.

Following graduation, Coleman brought supporting the Black community to the forefront of his career. He got a job at the First National Bank of Boston as one of the few Black loan officers at the bank. As a loan officer, Coleman helped develop a $100 million equity fund for women and minority-led businesses and to support businesses in low-income communities in Boston. This fund helped generate wealth and economic development for groups that the bank traditionally would not work with, and its effects are still felt today. Coleman also took courses at the MIT Sloan School of Management and became a mentor to many Black entrepreneurs in Boston.

Following his retirement from First National, Coleman moved to his hometown of Tampa, where he was active in the Saturday Morning Breakfast Group, a group of Black business leaders and professionals who worked with elected officials and local youth to improve outcomes for Black men in the city, and other grassroots groups that supported the Black and other underserved communities. He passed away from a stroke on May 16, 2020.

Biography written and researched by Cat Rosch.