This article originally appeared in the October 2024 newsletter of the Change Leaders Network. Click the image below to view and download the PDF.
Have you ever noticed that most people in policy making positions did not grow up in low-income communities? This was a striking realization for me when I started working in government: that the people making policies that affect low-income and marginalized communities, while often well-intentioned, typically lack the perspective of those communities.
I once asked several community leaders what they viewed as the most pressing social problems, and how they thought systems leaders saw those same problems. Their answers revealed very different understandings. For example, related to school achievement, community members saw the school system as punitive and lacking racial equity, while school officials expressed that youth didn’t try hard enough and parents should speak English. Related to housing, community members saw displacement due to gentrification and the high cost of housing, while city officials saw the need to bring more market rate, tax-generating housing to the area.
Since solutions are connected to problems, you can see how these different perspectives could generate very different solutions. The communities with the most to lose or gain by systems and policy changes usually were not even part of the conversation.
I grew up in neighborhoods where families face chronic scarcity. Parents often work 12 or more hours a day, and still struggle to provide enough food, let alone to have enough time to go to their children’s schools or attend a City Council meeting.
How can we fix this disconnect? To answer this, I researched successful policy and systems changes led by low-income and marginalized communities. I was delighted to study these inspiring communities and to learn how they built power to truly change systems. I was inspired by the ways trust-based philanthropy created space for conversations about needed changes and supported their efforts.
In public health, on global, national, and local scales, we talk about the social determinants of health. Social determinants include things like racial inequities, access to quality food, and education. There are also commercial determinants of health, like housing, highly processed “food products,” and toxic waste. Commercial interests are well funded and do an excellent job of conveying their messages.
The sweet spot is when communities and government can work together to create change that goes beyond commercial interests. Elevating the voice of communities most affected by inequities helps to shift the narrative and helps our government leaders see things in a more balanced way.
Philanthropy can support communities to convey their messages. This support might include simply holding space over time for more nuanced conversations that allow people to reflect, join together, and use their power. It might also include legal, communications and other supports.
Now that I have this lens, I see hope for real change everywhere. People sometimes ask me why I am so optimistic. It is because all over the US and the world communities are coming together, building power, and pushing against old systems that sorely need to be changed. Hope is in our communities. I am certain these communities will increasingly find each and learn from each other and connect in more and more powerful ways. This will create the tipping point.
If you are a philanthropic, non-profit, or government leader interested in strategizing together, I’d love to hear from you. I can be reached at ginger@gingerleeglobal.com and www.gingerleeglobal.com.