Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance

by Edgar Villanueva

Over the years I’ve seen really terrible behavior between people of color within philanthropy, I believe because the space for us feels so limited. Inside these privileged, powerful places that are almost entirely white, occasionally a “designated space” opens up for you as a person of color, a token. Quite possibly you’ve never had access to power and all of a sudden, you’re going to these fancy dinners and having meetings with CEOs and mayors. There is a sense of specialness and scarcity, that there’s only a few of us who get in the door, and so you want to hold on to your spot and to the little bit of power and privilege that you have. All of a sudden there’s another person of color. You almost can’t help being afraid that person might take it all away from you. It can make us behave terribly toward one another. Some of my friends call this the “shiny new penny syndrome.”