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Lourdes RodrĂguez talks about how philanthropic practices intersect with issues of power and equity and how the David Rockefeller Fund supports and encourages a holistic approach to justice
The Global Innovations on Youth Violence, Safety and Justice initiative seeks to tackle youth violence and promote youth safety and criminal justice reform. The initiative is supported by three partners: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the David Rockefeller Fund.
Dr. Lourdes J. RodrĂguez serves as chief executive officer at the David Rockefeller Fund. She spoke to Salzburg Global Seminar during "A Whole System Approach to Justice: Creating a Brighter and Safer Future for Today's Youth." This program took place between February 8 and February 12, 2023.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Iva: What does a holistic approach to youth violence mean to you?
Lourdes: When we take a holistic approach to youth violence, we recognize people's humanity, [and] we recognize that youth are adults in the making. And we acknowledge that young people will be building tomorrow's societies and that how we treat them is setting up the society in the future.
Iva: In these tumultuous political times, with the global climate crisis exacerbating violence against and among young people, how can the David Rockefeller Fund's reputational capital and network bring about change?
Lourdes: One of the things that we are doing this year - in part because of my newness, but also in part because the charge that I was given was to accompany the organization in its journey to become a more just, equitable, and diverse funder - is taking a moment to examine how we do our work.
What has been the history of our engagement with the people that we serve and support? [We look to] understand where are the intersections in the populations that are impacted by climate change and by the criminal justice system. And where are the synergies in addressing issues not with a magic bullet mentality, like one single approach to solve a very linear problem, but rather how do we use magical strategies instead of single complex ways of looking at problems?
I am borrowing the term from a colleague Deborah Wallace who came up with the term of "magical strategies." I am constantly thinking about intersections and synergies as I am listening to the conversations that we are having as part of this [program]. So, I cannot tell you where we are landing because that would be like going into problem-solving knowing what solution you want to bring. So, ask me again in a year, and I [can] tell you more about that here.
Iva: What do you think needs to be changed in our environment? What needs to be changed in the narratives addressing youth violence?
Lourdes: I am encouraged by hearing many colleagues talking about youth not as problems to be solved. We need more of that thinking of how we consider the context in which young people are growing up rather than thinking about them as problems to be solved. I think that we need to broaden the way that we think about problems as things that need programmatic solutions because our mindsets often go towards simplifying issues to the detriment of the complexity of life. So, thinking less in terms of programmatic solutions.
Programs have a very important role in helping human development, but they are not the only way to deal with problems. There are sometimes approaches or stances that we take to the work that can be more impactful than the content of a program that we are implementing. […] I think part of what we need to cultivate more in the environment is a sense of solidarity and humility in how we approach our work.
Iva: Your work explores how issues of power and equity overlap with philanthropic and public health practice. How do we define and build new models for more just and inclusive communities?
Lourdes: [By having] a recognition that we do not know everything and curiosity and that not everybody needs to be built up in our own image. That would take us a long way. We need a variety of perspectives. Oftentimes our privilege blinds us to how much we have to learn when we create opportunities, when we open doors, [and] when we engage in a different way of building the world.
Every time I go down those steps, I think I'm stepping on 300 years of history, and I am adding my Puerto Rican-ness to these steps. It is mind-blowing that you allow me through that door. So, I feel like the more we make room for everybody to feel like they can walk through that door - we are shortchanging ourselves when we don't make room for that experience.
Iva: What is your driving force?
Lourdes: I know it is going to sound very trite. I am a woman of faith. I believe that we are created in the image of a powerful force. I believe in God. You may want to call it something else – the universe or mother nature. We all come to this greater understanding when we can see that we are all inherently the same; we are all made of the same material. And in that understanding, I find my driving force. It sounds very corny, but it makes me want to show up every day. I see that in all the people that we serve through the grantmaking that we do [and] in all the people whose work we highlight and we feature. I see myself reflected in them, and that drives me. Because I am a very selfish person, I only want the best for me and my kids. If I think of you as connected deeply with me, then I want all the same wonderful things for you as well.
Lourdes RodrĂguez was a participant in the Salzburg Global program “A Whole Systems Approach to Justice: Creating a Brighter and Safer Future for Today’s Youth,” which is a part of the Global Innovations on Youth Violence, Safety and Justice initiative. The program was hosted in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the David Rockefeller Fund.