Empowerment is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, especially in educational and nonprofit sectors. But there's a phenomenon I call "Empowerment Theater"—a term that encapsulates the deceptive nature of some initiatives that claim to empower but actually cap potential right from the start.
Take, for example, a friend of mine named Charlton, a bright guy who grew up in tough circumstances and ended up at an elite school called Georgetown Day School. This school, funded by the epitome of the establishment, professed to address racial inequalities superficially—raising Black Lives Matter flags without delving into deeper issues like the diminishing black wealth or land ownership that represent real economic power.
It's not just schools, though. Many nonprofits also fall into this trap. They might promote empowering young people or celebrating women’s voices on social media without tackling the underlying issues—like economic disparities or systemic barriers—that truly affect these groups.
What’s even more concerning is when empowerment initiatives only serve the image of the donors or organizers, rather than the community they claim to help. It becomes about maintaining a status quo, where a superficial layer of "empowerment" masks a lack of real change or agency.
True empowerment, the kind I strive to contribute to, involves creating real opportunities that have tangible effects. For instance, a project aiming to build affordable, multi-purpose housing for black communities and train black people to do the same offers a sustainable way to grow wealth and independence within the community.
The real question for me, and perhaps for anyone concerned with genuine social change, is how to avoid participating in "Empowerment Theater." Instead, we should focus on movement economics—circulating money among allies like real estate owners, photographers, and technologists who are actively working to empower and uplift each other.
Acknowledging and addressing the shortcomings in our approach to empowerment is the first step towards making a meaningful impact. Only then can we create initiatives that don’t just look empowering but actually foster a more flourishing future.