Tell me you work in privileged spaces without telling me…

A note on privilege: Like many organizations, RCFNS is learning what it means to move from good intentions to real change, and we will not always get it right. This blog reflects honestly on some of the uncomfortable truths we are encountering, and on our commitment to stay with the work of Justice and Equity – even when it challenges us.

The graphic with this blog illustrates the subtext at a conference last week, reflecting on three years of Gender Equity work in Canada’s Community Foundations, including RCFNS. We heard stories of innovative ideas, wild successes, big challenges, and hard‑won learnings. And always, we heard about the very familiar barriers listed in the image.

Doing things in a new way is uncomfortable and realizing that the way we’ve always done things has caused harm can feel devastating. But that discomfort is also a sign of growth, a marker that we are moving toward Justice and Equity. RCFNS is not exempt from this; we are in the midst of that same uncomfortable, necessary learning.

Uncertainty about how to proceed, or what the “right” next step is, often means we are letting go and unlearning. If you find yourself in a deeply uncomfortable part of your journey, know that you are not alone—we are there too, moving toward Justice and Equity alongside you. These challenges are even harder to address because they are the water we swim in—we often don’t see our own privilege. Having that privilege pointed out can feel like being labeled a bad person.

This can be a lonely and uncomfortable journey—but if discomfort is our only concern, we are missing the bigger truth: people without the privilege we hold may be literally unsafe in the presence of that privilege. What makes us uncomfortable could feel life‑threatening to someone else. As Maya Angelou reminds us, “When you know better, you do better.”

So as we mark International Women’s Day and this month’s theme, Give to Gain, here is our invitation: stay on the journey with us. Support any of RCFNS’s work as we apply a Gender Equity lens to all that we do, especially the Joan Feynman Climate Change Fund. Joan Feynman was a woman in a male‑dominated field, and this fund continues in that spirit by focusing on those most disproportionately impacted by climate change—women and marginalized communities. Find an organization doing work you believe in and donate, volunteer, or amplify their voice. Most importantly, don’t be a silent contributor to inequities. When we know better, we do better.

#InternationalWomensDay #GiveToGain #GenderEquity #ClimateJustice #WomenAndClimate #JoanFeynmanClimateChangeFund