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How…did…I…get…here?!
Over the last several months, there have been many days where I have asked myself this exact question, as if I was stuck in a movie, in a far-off place like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz — not to be cliché given the Kansas communities we partner with.
But I’ve only been asking this in a good way, I promise!
I never thought I would be working in the world of philanthropy. Mainly because for many years, I had my mind, efforts, and intentions set on other career paths, mostly in the health care system.
Also, part of the reason I’ve been considering my journey to Health Forward is because growing up, I thought philanthropy was only for (white) people who came from wealthy families and had money to give away as charitable donations. Like many people who come from non-traditional philanthropic spaces, I never knew this field was an option for me, a first-generation Black male college student from a single parent home in the inner city of Philadelphia. But now that I’m here, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
Philanthropy is the perfect intersection of all the things I care about doing in the world but never knew were possible. Every day, I wake up to work with a great group of people as we share power with, and support, the diverse communities that make up the Kansas City region. And I get to advance policies and advocate for solutions that will make our communities healthier.
Sounds like fun, right? Well, it is — mostly! Like anything worth fighting for, there are certainly difficult days that present challenging decisions. But, in the end, I arrive at work with a sense of purpose and accomplishment; power and validity; focus and solidarity. And I am convinced that I want more people who look like me to join me in this work, or to even know that it exists. I want them to experience what I have gotten to feel during the last year.
Yet, getting here isn’t easy. For most of the people I work with and have talked to in philanthropy so far, getting to this space was a journey; even for those who had the best laid plans. Access to the field of philanthropy has been exclusive, with many people either finding the field and available opportunities through someone they know or just by happenstance while they were working in another area. Whether it was social work, public health, political science/law, health care, or one of the various nonprofit spaces.
Through these conversations, I’ve learned there are so many stories of learning and loss, success and struggle, overcoming, and even disappointment. Yet, in a beautifully chaotic manner, it’s the contradictions of these professional and personal experiences that not only led us to this space but helped us continue the necessary work to improve this space. I can attest to that 100 percent from my personal and professional experiences where I have experienced my own challenges, losses, and triumphs that have spanned across five states and the course of 15 years — all to lead me to this point and time, here at Health Forward Foundation. I am forever grateful for this journey.
For anyone who is looking, thinking, or wondering about working in the field of philanthropy — I have some short and hopefully sage advice: determine your “why” for doing the work you are passionate about and follow that work with intention wherever it leads you. If that happens to be the field of philanthropy, even better. Because you are wanted, welcomed, and needed here. And if our paths cross, you can count on me to save space for you, whenever you arrive.
