Decolonizing Wealth: A Conversation with Edgar Villanueva

What if we used money as medicine?

Maryland’s economy looks great on paper. We have a highly educated workforce, the highest median income in the country, and more millionaires per capita than any other state.[1] At the same time, a legacy of discrimination has resulted in significant and persistent racial and ethnic economic inequity.[2] Households of color in Maryland are more than twice as likely as white households to lack the liquid assets to live above the poverty level for three months if they suddenly lose their income. White households have an average net worth that is almost eight times higher than that of households of color.[3]

Many recognize the need to change this trajectory – and do so in a way that centers healing to transform communities. Healing is necessary to promote lasting wealth generation in communities of color, and every sector has a role in that process.

Maryland Philanthropy Network invites you to an evening of healing and deep conversation with Edgar Villanueva (@VillanuevaEdgar) author of Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance. Through a presentation and discussion with Stuart Clarke, Edgar will outline his provocative analysis of the dysfunctional colonial dynamics at play in philanthropy and finance and offer a prescription for restoring balance and healing our divides.

There will an opportunity for audience participation and questions. Light refreshments will be served, and a book signing will be held, at the conclusion of the event. 

Edgar Villanueva is a globally-recognized expert on social justice philanthropy. Edgar serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Native Americans in Philanthropy and is a Board Member of the Andrus Family Fund, a national foundation that works to improve outcomes for vulnerable youth.  Edgar currently serves as Vice President of Programs and Advocacy at the Schott Foundation for Public Education where he oversees grant investment and capacity building supports for education justice campaigns across the United States. Click here for a full bio.

Stuart Clarke has been Executive Director of the Town Creek Foundation since October of 2004. He currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of both Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and Maryland Philanthropy Network. Click here for a full bio.

This program is co-hosted by the Betsy Nelson Legacy Fund of the Maryland Philanthropy Network, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Maryland Institute College of Art, and is free and open to the public.  A limited number of free copies of Decolonizing Wealth will be available to those in attendance.

The Betsy Nelson Legacy Fund supports Maryland Philanthropy Network’s efforts to promote charitable giving and involvement in addressing community issues and challenges. The Fund aims to share philanthropy's message beyond the Network’s membership and to build connections between charitably-minded people, organizations and institutions to strengthen our community.