Democratizing knowledge generation
I wrote these notes as prep for the closing plenary of the Racial Equity and Justice in Philanthropy Summit hosted by The Circle Canada, Level - An Initiative of the Vancouver Foundation, and Real Estate Foundation. Didn’t say all the things but some folks thought you might find them interesting.
I am a descendant of free, stolen and enslaved people. I can trace back to the 1600’s my people working, living on and eventually owning land from the territories of the Appomattoc (Westmoreland, Va) and since the 1800’s, working and living on the lands of the Minocan (Nelson Valley, VA) and the Lenape (Cayuga Valley, Ohio). I greet you today from the territories of the Coast Miwok also known as San Rafael, CA. Preferred pronouns are she/her/hers.
WHY NOT ME?
When I first pondered how I would answer the question “what are my thoughts about the future of philanthropy” my initial reaction was… “who am I to weigh in on this, particularly in a country where I do not have roots.” And then I thought, so many males have opinions about everything, why not me? So once I threw out my imposter syndrome and brief glimpse of internalized patriarchy, I realized that for me philanthropy is not a big enough container for what I aspire for this world - one where there is equity, justice, liberation and sovereignty for all people. And yet philanthropy has a role.
And within that role, I have at this moment influence and a point of view as to how our concepts of knowledge, evaluation, research and even learning limit our ability to understand the multiple truths we must understand and value if we are to create a new world.
WHAT AM I NOTICING?
Three things:
1) An Awakening of the ways in which patriarchy, white supremacy and capitalism in the US have permeated and distorted all that is possible and the ways in which in particular Black and Indigenous People of Color have been systematically prevented from thriving and yet their labor, bodies and land have built the wealth of the US primarily that of White people.
2) An Attention (rightfully so) to the role that Philanthropy has and could play in response to the global pandemic and structural racism. But less attention and critique of the philanthropic industrial complex of which we on this panel benefit - what I refer to as benevolent capitalism, and the ways in which the NPOs/NGOs, consultants and all the other actors are complicit in perpetuating norms, beliefs and practices that privilege and oppress.
3) Acknowledgment of the need for the weaving of intersectionality, complexity and systems thinking so that we can better understand the multiplicity of truths, perspectives and experiences of people to create new policies, systems and practices that honor and value all lives, particularly those of Black, Indigenous and non binary peoples.
WHAT IS THE INVITATION?
It is a big one, and in transparency, I am still formulating it. I think philanthropy has the power and opportunity to democratize knowledge generation, that it has the ability to deepen our critical consciousness (per Friere, Baldwin, Morrison, Lorde) to move us towards being a civil civil society.
The stories we have been told, taught and the narrative reinforced in the media and news are lies. Our research, our medical knowledge, everything we have been told is true perpetuate a world view that not only denies the humanity of whole groups of people but also means we don’t really understand what we need to in the 21st century.
Philanthropy engages in this work either directly through its own efforts, or by resourcing and commissioning work from others. What would be possible if doing so they held a set of three principles:
Evaluation and evaluative work should be in service of equity
Evaluative work should be designed and implemented commensurate with the values underlying equity work:
Multi-culturally valid, and
Oriented toward participant ownership
Evaluative work can and should answer critical questions about the:
Ways in which historical and structural decisions have contributed to the condition to be addressed, b) Effect of a strategy on different populations,
Effect of a strategy on the underlying systemic drivers of inequity, and
Ways in which cultural context is tangled up in both the structural conditions and the change initiative itself.
In holding these 3 principles, how might our collective wisdom and insights lead to a world where the humanity of all is valued and validated?
To get a sense of the two days, see here for an amazing thread of highlights from the Summit and here for resources from the Summit.
Love and appreciation to those who made the Summit possible:
The Circle: Kris Archie, Shereen Munshi
LEVEL @ Vancouver Foundation: Alejandra Lopez Bravo, Joey Cheung, Abeer Yusuf, Vi Nguyen
REFBC: Mark Gifford
Related Threads:
About The Author:
Jara Dean-Coffey (jdc) is Founder and Director of the Equitable Evaluation Initiative and the Founder of Luminare Group. For the past twenty-five years, she has partnered with clients and colleagues to elevate their collective understanding of the relationship between values, context, strategy and evaluation and shifting our practices so that they are more fully in service of equity. For more about musings + machinations click here.
