The Issue with White Men & Philanthropy

I’ve been working in the nonprofit world all my life. As organizers and activists we all know where the money lies — in the bank accounts of white men. This is not me stating that white men have no soul or heart, but it is me asking for folks to wake up when it comes to the historically exploitive systems that we operate within.

Good things to don’t come to those who give expecting to receive a tax break or publicity and praise around something that as a economically privileged person you should be doing in order to close the economic & achievement gaps within our country. The gaps that are literally destroying the health and well being of communities — men, women, grandparents, and children. You should do it because “it’s the right thing to do.”

Seeing the majority of the nonprofit world is women — the first slaves (with acknowledgement that women of color have been the most exploited within history), I’m going to speak in line what I have observed to be true about the systematic slavery within nonprofits and our ‘economic order’ aka ‘caste system.’

As women in order to get ahead we have to walk the line. We have to be powerful, but not more powerful then men. We have to be sexy, but not too ‘slutty.’ We have to be vulnerable, but not too emotional. We have to give up our networks, for the “good of the whole.” We have to do our work 10x better than then the men in our circles when it comes to numbers and budgets just for us to heard through the stereotypes. And our work is only good enough if we showcase our sacrifice of our own resources for the livelihood of our teams and our community.

And historically the people whose praises are sung — whose names sit on the vast majority of all buildings, statues, commemorative plaques, dollar bills, and street signs, whose families continue to profit even after their death for their hard work & golden hearts are who? Men.

Yet we still find ourselves doing a routine and exhausting song and dance for dollars in order to prove who is most “worthy” of the tax write off for high incomes individuals. That type of systematic thinking is as ludicrous as people stating “but they weren’t like other slave owners, they treated their slaves really well.”

Historically, I feel that we have thought that the system (and let us be reminded systems and business are built with strategy and intent) has left us with no choice.

The thing that has mad me most angry in my time in Boston is to continue to watch “generous and philanthropic” white men, who, yes have done work in their life, but who have come from a place of privilege and whose families most likely have profited off of the time and talent of low income and minority communities and individuals.

Now those men who have culturally misappropriated their networks and whose own greed lead them to fuck over the people who built their business have been served justice in karmic sense, but those who are lightly toeing the waters of the same exploitation are not to far from the same injustice.

I’m in the process of building my own business one whose mission is to establish PEACE and to build an economic platform for the those who are and have been dedicating their time and talents to the real movement and struggle — not just the struggle of personal ego.

I have done a lot of conscious reflection on how I’m building this — how I am a part of the cast, but not the lead actress or roll. Asking questions of: how are people recognized, who gets paid first, who is featured and headlined, how money is equally and fairly divided, how to be even more transparent? Most Importantly, where I need to check my subconscious behavior, the learned parts of the system that operate on the default, and how I can consciously work to hold myself and my peers accountable in our strategy, speak, and actions.

There is a subconscious system at work. I do believe in the innate goodness of all people but I believe that “economics is the root of a sociopath” and those who continue to “chase the buck” will continue to uproot and fuck over those who are working to serve a higher role — that of equity, justice, peace, and love — The evolution of human kind.

So with that said, I’m asking all men and stakeholders in these systems to check themselves for the good others, and for their own personal sake.

And to all the women in the struggle, I want to say we have choice. We can say “No.” This is how we interrupt the cycle of oppression and violence. We say to no money that is accompanied by a write off, to behaviors that perpetuate cultural appropriation, to the negative energy of the past that holds us back from reaching our fullest potential as human beings.

As a community I know we can do this.

I hope everyone has a awesome day full of peace, deep reflection, and love.

Namaste.