Can philanthropy find purpose in a commitment to solidarity and reconciliation?
Antiracist Applied Practices
Systemic racism names the institutional practices and policies, as well as cultural representations, that legitimize and perpetuate racial group inequity. Origins of contemporary forms of systemic racism stem from the violence, oppression, and land theft wrought by global colonialism, the genocide of Indigenous peoples, and the system of chattel slavery. The underlying ideas and ideologies on which these systems were predicated, have allowed for the specific and historical accumulation of privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time in relation to the specifics of geography. Contemporary systemic racism may also manifest in insidious forms, and thus may be less overt and more difficult to challenge and uproot.In Philanthropy, confronting racism involves thought transformation and follow up action at the level of the individual and organization. This will be part of the learning journey of your advising. We want to root you or your institution’s giving in context, history, and a liberated future free of white saviorism and racial inequity. This transformation may inform policy changes and new initiatives while reckoning with past practices.
Equity and Social Justice
Equity and social justice demands the radical redistribution of resources in order to redress a history of inequitable socio-economic and political practices along cleavages of racism, class oppression, and gender-based discrimination, among others. This history has contributed to the local and global social, cultural, economic, and political inequity that in many cases philanthropy now seeks to redress. As a result of the universal truth concerning wealth accumulation and in relationship to an active history of philanthropic giving to interests and organizations in tension with grassroots desires, philanthropy is often viewed as antagonistic to social change. Grounding giving practices in equity and social justice allows practitioners to actualize deep reflection to change perceptions regarding the core purpose of philanthropy through progressive action within institutions. This stance can provide an impetus for a meaningful reorganization of giving practices and organizational culture.
Anticolonial Analysis
Understanding power and its interaction with systems of difference such as race, place, citizenship, and class, among others, allow us to more fully understand the social and political context of giving. In more recent times, philanthropic practitioners have been more intent on asking questions and self-study prior to entering spaces. However, understanding localized contexts requires a critical understanding of accumulation of wealth history and the role wealth creation has played in the underdevelopment of specific communities and regions. The global/local accumulation of wealth is imbricated in the global capitalist social system. Today’s system is an iteration of foundational historical colonial relationships that continue to endure. These colonial models of wealth accumulation must be acknowledged. Demystifying this universal basic truth regarding wealth accumulation supports development of an anticolonial stance in giving. From this stance, giving ceases to be tied to personal celebrity or foundation longevity, but instead becomes relational to aggressive giving practices that center solidarity practices and localized context interests and needs.