Operationalizing Justice: POWER to the People

“Everything would be alright if everything was put back in the hands of the people, and we’re going to have to put it back in the hands of the people.”  

-Fred Hampton  (1948-1969), Chairman, Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party 

“The major job was getting people to understand that they had something within their power that they could use, and it could only be used if they understood what was happening and how group action could counter violence…My theory is, strong people don’t need strong leaders.”  

-Ella Baker (1903-1986), Field Secretary NAACP; Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Founder, Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee  

“I am powerful. I have power. My power is not intended to be asserted over others. My power is one that is shared and used to uplift others.”  

–Me, Liberated Love Notes™ 

I offer these quotes as points of reflection, specifically as it relates to our understanding of “power” in the context of diversity, equity, inclusion and (newly named) justice (DEIJ) work. I’ve previously referred to “power” as the silent “P” in corporate DEI work. It is no secret that mainstream, corporate DEI work has historically focused on theories related to unconscious bias, cultural competence and inclusive leadership without a power analysis. We talked about cultural differences without equal attention to the ways in which group membership and systems of oppression make some cultural differences valued over others. We talked about unconscious bias without attention to the nuance that all biases are not created equal, and power has significant — even deadly — implications. This “movement” in time calls for something different. Certainly, we cannot begin adding “equity” and “justice” to our DEIJ industrial lexicon without addressing and amplifying the role of power.  

When Fred Hampton spoke of power, I imagine he was referring to institutional power.The power that exists within our social order and norms — Who is seen as worthy? Who is valued? Who is creating policy and making decisions? Who are the gatekeepers to social systems like politics, media, education, criminal justice? Who holds economic power and wealth distribution?

When Ella Baker was referring to power, I imagine she was referring to our inherent agency and brilliance; our capability to solve for our own problems, our gifts and inherent value that exists within us, even in the context of a social order that would suggest we are powerless. Our ancestor Ella Baker was not only referring to our inherent, individual power, but also the power in the collective.

See… #TheAncestorsBeKnowin…  

I offer a paradigm around power that emphasizes it as a tool for uplift and source of abundance, a framing that is often counter to how power is understood within Eurocentric, American, white-led institutions (e.g., power hoarding, paternalism, individualism). Power is used to control; power is seen as something to be asserted. Sometimes experiencing power in this way can have a traumatic impact. It can manifest as internalized (or injected) oppression and can result in the most unlikely yielding their power in ways that perpetuate the same harmful impact they too experience, or have experienced, under oppressive systems.  

At The Winters Group, we define power as: our intrinsic worth, value and gifts … and access, influence and social privileges that we have inherited because of how we look, who we know, how others see us, the institutions with which we are associated and group memberships that we hold.

This language and the aforementioned Black thought move us closer toward explicitly naming and understanding the role of power in this justice-centered DEI work.  

Centering justice is defined as an orientation and consciousness that allows for correcting systems, repairing harm and implementing deliberate systems and practices that produce equity and shift power.  

When we center justice, our goal is to bring to the center those who have perpetually been pushed to the margins of society, decision making, access to information, education and wealth, among others. These three questions are critical to getting us there and operationalizing justice at multiple levels of system: 

• Who benefits most?
• Who is harmed?
• How can we shift or redistribute power?

Now, I am fully aware that “shifting” power may elicit a range of emotions depending on one’s level of understanding or buy-in to this work. Shifting suggests “giving up” power, which can absolutely be triggering to the human body and brain. I recently shared with the team that even amidst the growing “interest” in allyship and anti-racism, I don’t believe we’ve underscored the very real implications of “shifting power,” which quite literally involves power being distributed from one place to another. To someone who is socialized within an individualistic context and/or embodies a scarcity mindset, shifting power may feel like losing something. To someone who strives to understand power through a collectivistic and abundance framework, shifting power may feel necessary for the greater good or gain. Either way, the shift, redistribution, whatever you want to call it, involves offering up something — in some ways, it’s sacrificial.  

Put plainly: “I am offering up what I have experienced as the norm (and subsequently as mine) in service of something greater.”  

Just last weekend members of my faith community celebrated the purest, most radical form of sacrifice, justice and love. #TheresLevelsToThis 

Sometimes sacrifice is risk, other times it’s a “seat at the table,” perhaps it’s financial or access to information and influence. And certainly all of this is complicated by race. When Black people center justice, actively disrupting the status quo, they run the risk of losing their jobs, being seen as difficult, disruptive, unqualified to lead; they lose access to mainstream validation, access to white institutions; their livelihoods can absolutely be put at risk. In the case of many of our ancestors and contemporaries, they lose their lives. I dare not undermine this. I will name these as sacrifices. I am not comfortable with expecting anything less of folks who espouse justice and strive to do the same (in their own way).

What might this look like practically? How do we shift POWER to the people (most impacted)? Here are some of my initial thoughts:  

• At the interpersonal level, white leaders should proactively identify ways to leverage their access to networks, wealth and information to amplify Black and Brown people. Next time you are invited to speak or offer your expertise, refer a Black or Brown person who is doing similar work. Amplification is one way we shift power.  
• Perhaps you’re not white but have proximity to power by way of your position within an institution. Shifting power looks like being accountable to the people who you are serving (not the current “powers that be”). For example, if you are a CDO, Black, Brown, white or otherwise, you must center your work around the people. You must feel and be ACCOUNTABLE to the people — not leadership, but the people. This means amplifying the concerns of Black folks in your institution, not being a gatekeeper, or a risk mitigator for leadership. Shifting power means shifting resources, priorities and strategies in a way that addresses their lived experiences.  
• Perhaps you’re in human resources or are a business leader. Who defines what it means to be a “leader” at your organization? Who is involved in establishing performance goals and metrics? Who has access to data related to DEI? Who has access to compensation information? Shifting power means expanding access to information, decision-making and fostering transparency. This could look like sharing pay data in job postings and making org-wide compensation data accessible to employees, developing an accountability tool or transparency tracker that communicates progress toward DEI goals and commitments. This is especially critical if institutional distrust is an area of concern for your Black and Brown employees.  
• Maybe you’re not a leader or person with access to positional power. In this context, lean into the collective. Identify ways to build coalition with other Black or Brown people or individuals who are committed to justice. Disrupting status quo requires collective power and shared risk. I am tracking this pattern of a “corporate uprising” where coalitions of Black leaders, CEOs and practitioners are using their power to hold institutions accountable. I am here for it.   
• In the marketplace, institutions can shift power by creating space for Black– and Brown–led businesses. A few weeks back, I read an article about how Band-Aid announced they’d be incorporating different shades of brown in their product line. I’ve tracked similar trends where larger brands are now investing in markets that have historically been underserved in their strategies. I’d offer that shifting power or “market share” would have looked like lifting up the brilliance of Black-led companies like Browndages or Tru-colour, investing in their work, offering market share instead of creating more competition. Burger chain Shake Shack’s partnership with Black owned ‘Slutty Vegan’ might be good model for this. Shifting the power means creating more access to market share not competition.  
• Right now, police brutality and accountability are front and center in local policy discussions. In Maryland, activists have been working hard to get the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights repealed and have specifically called for community oversight in police discipline and greater transparency in police records of misconduct. Shifting power looks like supporting community oversight, ensuring police officers are being held accountable to the people who they are supposed to be serving. Nonetheless, organizers and legislators in support of these oversight and transparency measures have been met with tremendous resistance.
• If you are a funder or foundation, shifting power looks like directing unrestricted funds to Black- and Brown-led grassroots organizations and small businesses. Black– and Brown–led organizations need funding/capital, in most cases to build infrastructure. They do not need the burden of excessive reporting and burdensome qualifications.
• Shifting power … looks like reparations. But that is another post for another day.

This list is non-exhaustive… and certainly I am no expert, any more than I am genuinely committed to interrogating how we evolve this work. We can’t operationalize, nor can we center, justice without intentionally altering the power differential — at all levels of system. Operationalizing justice requires shifting or redistributing POWER to the people.