Racial Equity Truthtellers: "If everyone in the room looks like you, you're in the wrong room."
When it comes to using racial equity as a lens for change, Ben Davis knows a thing or two. The Director of Campaigns and Sustainability for Wend Collective and self-proclaimed “political consultant in recovery” uses his skill set to provide greater sustainability in urban environments. Prior to joining Wend Collective, Davis aided in several Democratic campaigns and initiatives in Colorado.
“I spend the majority of my efforts and resources focused on making sure that the choices you have and how you move around are a part of you having the life you want to have,” Davis said. “I would argue that most people in America have one choice, which is to go buy a car and deal with it to make their lives work, and we’re trying to change that.”
For the majority of his career, Davis supported White-led strategies that were developed to be in service of statewide communities. While he felt very proud of the work he did, he later found that he was repeating the same mistakes many White-led organizations make when servicing communities. They develop strategies and realize that they need a diverse coalition of people of color to support them. The problem with this approach is that the same people they bring on to support their efforts are the very people founders should be working with from the start to develop the strategies that work for everyone.
“The change that I’ve seen both in myself and in the work I do over the last five years has been informed by really understanding the mistakes involved in that approach,” Davis said.
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Instead of coming into a space with ideas for solutions and lobbying for everyone else in the room to support it, Davis now takes a different approach. He still comes to the table with ideas, but he also listens to understand everyone’s perspectives and supports solutions that are informed by the people who understand them best. Wend Collective applies the practice of an “advice process” to every project they’re involved with. This means that they consult with both experts and people in impacted communities on any decisions they make.
“A lot of the solutions that have been tried were not the result of listening to the folks who are experiencing those challenges or the folks who failed to solve them,” Davis said. Putting the advice process into practice naturally leads to Wend Collective’s deep social justice perspective.
Davis credited having the privilege to work with peers from diverse backgrounds and experiences to help understand what it means to truly work in a way that values people’s humanity. “I sometimes joke that I have a four-year graduate degree in equity and inclusion because of the peers I get to work with on a daily basis,” Davis added.
Having White leaders in positions of influence who carry the mindset of listening rather than solving is key to making lasting change within the philanthropic space. Davis is an example of this kind of crucial leader. Listen to the full interview below to learn more about Ben Davis, his views on the role of philanthropy in times of crisis, and his advice for those looking to use racial equity as a lens for change.