Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance

by Edgar Villanueva

In the United States and in other nations, the philanthropic community and the financial community, especially those in social finance, could adopt a declaration just like this, and even spearhead the creation of Truth and Reconciliation Committees. I would love to hear funders acknowledge the reality of the situation around wealth, to say, “This is not our money. This wealth was created on the backs of Native people, whose role was never compensated and never acknowledged. This wealth was made on the backs of enslaved Africans. This wealth was made with stolen resources on stolen land with slave labor or low-wage labor. This wealth was stolen again when it was shielded from taxation, which would have generated revenue to pay for community improvements and programs. We acknowledge that, and we apologize. We’re sorry.”