“Reciprocity means we are only a healthy community if we’re taking care of everybody.” Edgar Villanueva, Decolonizing Wealth
Some concepts ought to be intuitive, but when we finally recognize their truth we’re embarrassed at how long it has taken to sink into our hearts, into our brains, into our souls.
After my husband and I went to Israel and Palestine in 2005 with a Faith & Money Network Trip of Perspective, we knew we had to find a way to personally cope in an ongoing basis with the Jewish-Muslim-Christian conflicts in that land. The method we settled on was to make annual donations to Muslim, Jewish and Christian organizations there whose work we respected and wanted to support.
Can we white citizens of a nation wrestling with the inequalities our black brothers and sisters, our brown brothers and sisters, and our indigenous brothers and sisters live with, address the issue by making contributions to their race specific organizations in need of support?
Will our donations solve their inequality problems? Of course not, but they can be an important step for us to finding other ways to be involved in the search for solutions.
Researching race specific problems and needs on the internet can be an important step too. Reading as much as possible about racial inequality can also help you locate solid, legitimate organizations to support and your donations will help finance their work.
Villanueva, a member of the Lumbee Tribe and an expert on social justice philanthropy, challenged us with his writing when he said, “We are all related, all connected. The Native way is to bring the oppressor into our circle of healing. Healing cannot occur unless everyone is part of the process. Let it begin.”
Supporting black, brown and indigenous organizations with your donations is one way to get involved in the struggle for equality.
Blessings on your efforts to begin,
Judy Osgood
September 14, 2020