Diary of a Civic-Focused Black Woman: Power, Privilege & Philanthropy
There’s a scene in the movie, “Waiting To Exhale”, when Bernadine Harris, played by the classic actress, Angela Bassett, takes a drag from her cigarette and throws the lit match through the window of her cheating husband’s Mercedes Benz. As the white luxury car, filled with his expensive personal possessions, is engulfed in flames, Bernadine watches. She then flicks the ash from her cigarette, turns and walks away with her head held high.
This is my civic approach to the dysfunctional marriage between social innovation and philanthropy.
Philanthropy is good, right? It’s a partner who you believe supports humanity's best interests, right? It’s a safe space where government, businesses, communities and nonprofits collaborate in support of social progress, right? Well, that all depends if we are willing to be honest and come to terms with the power dynamics that exist between philanthropy and community-based work.
Reproducing the Same Network of Privilege
I was born in one of the most under-resourced communities in the city of Baltimore. Based on the statistics, we take the cake on the hardship index. But, in light of my background, I have gained a certain level of lived experience which provides me a more empathic and humble approach to working with diverse communities. Yet, the same can not be said for the philanthropic organizations and grantmakers who are positioned as Baltimore’s champions for equity.
Growing up, we are taught to identify white supremacy with the violent segregationist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and their many modern-day equivalents. But, it is my opinion that holding solely to this definition is what offers white America a false sense of reality.
Discrimination is difficult to see in discriminatory environments, unless you are the person who is being discriminated against.
I was consulting on a new program that was geared to engage and support Baltimore residents within the city’s most impoverished communities. Against the backdrop of COVID, Black Lives Matter and Police Brutality, the company wanted to demonstrate that they were approaching challenges through an equity lens.
Confronting Power and Privilege- Presented by Tamika L. Butler, Esq. a land use, equity, environmental and social and racial justice advocate.
Appreciating this, I suggested to the client that their bid rules for the project be shared publicly with the community. I knew from life experience, that there are many opportunities that are missed by talented Black and brown people in forgotten neighborhoods simply because they didn’t have access to the proper information or support.
When the client responded, “No,” I was speechless. They gave no explanation or reason.
After pushing, an executive shared that she did not believe the community was intelligent enough to understand all of the intricacies of the requirement, and if the applicant had questions they could be discussed during the interview.
“Not intelligent?!” “Discuss during the interview?!” “Seriously?!?!”
Tell me the likelihood of any Black or brown person, who has no previous relationship or connection with an organization or its decision-makers, being selected for a lucrative opportunity without first understanding “what they are required to do” and “how they will be evaluated”?
It’s a mindset marred by prejudice and privilege.
Speak Up and Speak Out
As civic hackers, if we are not continually vigilant, anti-Blackness and white supremacy will continue to subtly slither into organizational culture and practices.
We must challenge ourselves to better understand the ways a race-conscious approach leads to better results for the communities we want to support.
And, it is crucial to explicitly acknowledge that we still operate in a system of inequity.
What we must do is light the match that illuminates what we have been too uncomfortable to acknowledge or discuss.
White supremacy is an ideology that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to People of Color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions.