We don’t need to invent it…

On a call yesterday with a colleague in philanthropy, I came upon a phrase—we don’t need to invent it, we just need to invest in it. I was talking about intersectional feminist movement ideas, but it could apply to so much more. Americans love to think about our brilliance in innovation—creative solutions, developed by single individual geniuses, the big, new ideas that change the world in an instant. Those exist. But does it need to be stated that in a patriarchal culture, we have invested in those kinds of people, those kinds of ideas, to the total exclusion of ideas generated through cooperative community effort, particularly led by Black and brown and queer and indigenous people? Social movements grounded in the pursuit of justice, equity, human rights and freedom have created the freedoms we enjoy today (to the extent that “we” are able to enjoy them, considering the continued marginalization of so many). The end of Apartheid—driven by movement for justice. The fall of the Berlin Wall—driven by movements for freedom. Broader voting rights—driven by movements for abolition, civil rights, enfranchisement. The list goes on and on. These were not driven by governments, or by industry—those FOLLOWED the movements for the expansion of rights. We cannot rely on recalcitrant or overtly hostile governments to invest in these movements—but we the people MUST. And we should see that they are the thing MOST worth investing in. Organizations did not create the changes I just listed—MOVEMENTS DID. Sometimes groups coalesce into organizations, usually compelled by charismatic leaders, great communicators, true visionaries. But they are also “the rank and file” – the people who believe in an idea and are willing to put their time and effort into them. These movements do not need to be invented. They EXIST. We do not need to invent them. We just need to invest in them.