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In an election year, perhaps the last thing political parties and operatives want to discuss is bridging divides. We live in an era of hyperpartisanship, and division will become more pronounced the closer we get to November. But the divides that most shape our country run much deeper than politics. Centuries old, they separate out communities of color as “others” and leave pain that no red-blue kumbaya can touch.
To heal our divides, we must create a world in which all are seen and all are valued. And we must create a world in which we all see the benefit of collective belonging, then commit to bring it about. “We must” is critical; each of us must invest in this goal and see how we’re affected by it, regardless of our race, ethnicity, sexual or gender identity, our religion or creed.
But for everyone to engage, the benefits must be readily apparent. Healing divides isn’t the sole burden of those who have been excluded from the American dream. It is a collective opportunity for both the historically advantaged and disadvantaged to recognize and right past wrongs and experience the joy and liberation that comes with that. Everyone has a role to play in the work of repair — especially philanthropy.
As I encourage foundations and donors to use their resources to heal, I highlight the importance of reparative philanthropy, which calls for that acknowledgment of past oppression and steps to repair it through redistribution of resources. This model requires collaboration, accountability, and mutually respectful relationships. It is drawn from the Indigenous tradition that practices the principle known as “All My Relations.” In short, it is the idea that we have all been harmed by oppressive systems, and we all have a role to play to secure collective healing.
The last part is key. Often, when you hear about societal problems, it’s easy to look the other way if you are not directly affected. And it can be easy to find reassurance in the list of reasons why you will not be similarly victimized. In psychology, this tendency is considered a cognitive bias called the “fundamental attribution error.”
Such mental gymnastics, however, give us false hope. And they create distance between us and those directly impacted. I want us all to appreciate that when a group is hurt, all are affected. What ails one, ails us all.
I get that such a mind-set isn’t easy. The world can be frightful, with its deepening inequity, widespread resistance to racial equity, and fierce commitment to the status quo. There is also fear that helping others is a zero-sum proposition that means harming one’s self. It may feel good psychologically to look for safety, but I believe true safety lies in working toward healing.
In recent years, we have seen significant moments of progress but also retrenchment. Most notably, the killing of George Floyd prompted a professed commitment to equity. Corporations, philanthropy, and others declared a desire and drive to tackle racial justice. Horrified by the blatant disregard for Black life, philanthropists and grant makers made small and large donations. Black activists were finally being heard, and everyone knew it.
Next, however, came the expected, but no less distressing, backsliding on funding and commitments. The retreat was sparked by fear — fear of campaigns demonizing the teaching of race in schools, fear of attacks on critical race theory, and fear of efforts to squelch programs ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion. Last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court decision banning race-based affirmative action in higher education fueled the attacks. Following the decision, a wave of lawsuits hit entities such as the Fearless Fund, which is being sued over its support of Black-owned businesses. Anxiety is growing in some parts of the philanthropic sector along with trepidation about funding anything explicitly in service of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or other people of color. This is an affront to us all.
We cannot heal divides without a steadfast and unbreakable commitment. It is pointless for philanthropists or advocates to search for common or safe ground if they do not agree on the fundamentals of racial equity. It is pointless to think that pluralism will lead to safety. In fact, no one should embrace pluralism as a solution for issues that have plagued the nation for centuries. Pluralism does not lift up and empower the marginalized; to the contrary, it works in service of the oppression of those who have always struggled to be seen and heard.
This is not the time to play it safe; it is time to double down. Philanthropy may not be driving the attacks on communities of color, but it cannot afford to be silent in the face of them. To heal divides, we must, as a field, adopt reparative philanthropy as a central approach to our work — both taking responsibility for our contributions to division and unapologetically committing to address the need to redistribute resources to communities of color.
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