Righting historical wrongs through philanthropy

<h2><br></h2> <p>(PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE) - There are $1 trillion in the philanthropy sector, but only a small amount of the money goes toward closing racial disparities across the nation.<br> <br> Edgar Villanueva, author of the book "Decolonizing Wealth," said the sector should rethink how it gives. He pointed out less than a tenth of philanthropic giving goes to nonprofit organizations led by Black, Indigenous or people of color working specifically on issues of racial or social equity.<br> <br> "We are still kind of thinking of philanthropy and giving in an old-fashioned way that is really about charity, and putting a band-aid on issues," Villanueva contended. "Versus funding organizations who are on the front lines of pushing for more transformative change in our communities, and especially around issues of racial justice."<br> <br> Villanueva is the keynote speaker at a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mtnonprofit.org/2022/03/10/announcing-2022-fundraising-summit-equity-and-opportunity/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Montana Nonprofit Association summit</a>&nbsp;this Thursday in Helena.<br> <br> Villanueva acknowledged his ideas about redistributing money come from Indigenous wisdom about restorative justice. His book introduces seven steps to healing: grieving, apologizing, listening, relating, representing, investing and repairing. He noted the money philanthropic foundations have now, was built in large part on the slave trade and Indigenous land.<br> <br> "To not return some of that wealth back to the descendants of folks who helped to build this wealth is an injustice, in my point of view," Villanueva asserted. "That's what healing looks like. It is about righting a wrong that would help to close a race/wealth gap that exists in our communities as a result of history."<br> <br> Villanueva's book includes the story of a North Carolina woman who discovered her wealth came from land taken from Native Americans, and her family owned slaves. He recounted she wrote apology letters to their descendants, and