Edgar Villanueva

With Decolonizing Wealth, a provocative analysis of the dysfunctional colonial dynamics at play in philanthropy and finance, the award-winning funder Edgar Villanueva draws on his Native American heritage to offer a prescription for restoring balance and healing our divides. With great compassion--because the Native way is to bring the oppressor into the circle of healing, understanding that healing cannot occur unless everyone is part of the process-- Villanueva diagnoses the fatal flaws in financial institutions, unflinchingly drilling down to the core of colonialism and White supremacy. The greed, exploitation, and domination at the core of colonization are the same dynamics at play today when money is used to separate Us from Them and to separate Haves from Have-Nots. To restore harmony and heal divides--as we desperately need to do in America and the world-- we must learn how to decolonize the institutions and processes that control and move money. Although there is no quick fix for the traumatic complexity of colonization, Villanueva's "Seven Steps for Healing" outline a process to follow, from taking responsibility, to inviting the perspectives and wisdom of people most excluded and exploited by today's broken economy, to investing with integrity and making reparations. There are roles for everyone involved, whether they're rich or poor, funder or recipient, victim or perpetrator. Integrating traditional indigenous wisdom with savvy financial experience, this books explains how money can be used to facilitate relationships, to help us thrive, and to bring things back into balance.

Medicine to Heal Divides and Restore Balance

Decolonizing Wealth

This second edition expands the provocative analysis of the dysfunctional colonial dynamics at play in philanthropy and finance into other sectors and offers practical advice on how anyone can be a decolonizer. In a 2017 survey of 111 private foundations, 85% of the total number of board members were white, and 40% of foundation boards were 100% white. Another survey showed that only 10% of foundation funding goes specifically to people of color. Philanthropy has evolved to mirror colonial structures, ultimately doing more harm than good.In this book Edgar Villanueva recounts his journey past the field's altruistic façade and into its shadows: white supremacy, savior complexes, and internalized oppression. The second edition has two new chapters that expand this analysis.. Medicine Beyond Money relates inspiring examples of people doing the work of decolonization in all kinds of workplaces and sectors. Story as Medicine explains how sharing our stories is a vital part of that process. Drawing on Native traditions, Villanueva explains how we can decolonize the institutions and processes around money, using the Seven Steps to Healing: Grieve, Apologize, Listen, Relate, Represent, Invest, and Repair. He writes, "Everyone has a role in the process of healing. All our suffering is mutual. All our healing is mutual. All our thriving is mutual."

Edgar Villanueva

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