Malcolm X once said, “If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, the knife is still in my back. If you pull it out all the way, the wound is still open.” This powerful metaphor perfectly encapsulates what true justice requires—not just removing the knife but treating the wound and addressing the conditions that allowed the injury in the first place. Justice demands more than false charity or surface-level solutions; it requires true generosity, confronting the root causes of harm.

Understanding False Charity

False charity is when people give money, food, time, or resources without addressing or challenging the root causes, such as systemic oppression, unfairness, and lack of access and opportunity. It’s like trying to make things a little better without really changing the underlying issues. False charity maintains the status quo or keeps things the same by offering short-term relief instead of making real changes that would solve problems for good.

False charity often helps those in power stay in control, keeping the giver in charge while leaving the recipient dependent without truly empowering them. The goal isn’t to shift, redistribute, or share power but to keep things the way they are.

Metaphors for False Charity:

• Band-Aid on a Broken Bone: False charity is like placing a band-aid over a broken bone—it might cover the injury, but it doesn’t address the real damage beneath the surface, leaving the problem unresolved.
• Mopping Without Fixing the Leak: False charity is like mopping up water from a flooded floor while ignoring the roof leak. The effort might temporarily clean up the mess, but the underlying issue, the leaking ceiling, continues to cause harm.
• Feeding Fish in a Polluted River: False charity is like feeding a fish in a polluted river; you might keep the fish alive for now, but unless you clean the water, the fish will continue to struggle in a toxic environment.

Embracing True Generosity

True generosity involves a deep commitment to transformative action, seeking lasting change that goes beyond simply addressing immediate needs or providing temporary relief. True generosity aims to eradicate the deep-rooted causes of social problems and break down the unfair systems that keep people poor, hungry, unhoused, uneducated, and without quality health care.

True generosity fosters independence and empowerment, ensuring that those who receive help are uplifted and supported in ways that enable them to become self-sufficient and self-advocates. It builds a more just and equitable society where everyone has equal access to resources and the opportunity to thrive.

Metaphors for True Generosity:

• Planting Fruit Trees: True generosity is like planting a fruit tree or empowering others to plant their own, providing fruit for generations rather than just giving someone a piece of fruit that will soon be gone. It’s about creating lasting benefits that continue to grow and sustain others over time.
• Building a Bridge: True generosity is like constructing a bridge across a turbulent river, enabling everyone to cross safely and repeatedly rather than just offering a raft that gets them across once. It creates enduring solutions rather than one-time fixes.
• Lighting a Torch: True generosity is like lighting a torch that illuminates the path for many rather than just holding a single candle that only provides light for a moment. It’s about guiding others toward a brighter future and sustaining that light over the long haul.

Reflecting on My Own Charity Work

The concepts of false charity and true generosity resonate deeply with me, especially given my long-standing commitment to philanthropy and community service. Reflecting on these ideas has led me to some tough but necessary questions:

Could my community service efforts be perpetuating the very injustices I’m trying to combat?

Am I more focused on the feel-good aspect of charity rather than driving meaningful change?

Is charity sometimes a distraction from the real work of justice?

How can I actively challenge the systems that create the need for charity in the first place?

Maya Angelou once said, “I seem to have more than I need, and you seem to have less than you need. I would like to share my excess with you.” This sentiment has guided much of my work in philanthropy. I’ve always believed that giving my time, money, and resources was a powerful way to make a difference.

Shirley Chisholm echoed a similar belief when she said, “Service is the rent you pay for a room on this earth.” These words have inspired me to continue giving back, but I’m also questioning whether my contributions genuinely address the root causes of the issues I care about.

Challenging Myself to Go Beyond Charity

Reflecting on these ideas, I’ve realized that while volunteering is valuable, it isn’t enough. My efforts must also include learning about and challenging the injustices that make volunteering necessary in the first place.

Take food insecurity, for example. It’s not enough to simply provide meals; we must also advocate for policies and practices that address the root causes of hunger. When I think about organizations like MIFA, which creates programs like Meals on Wheels to support seniors, or the Mid-South Food Bank, which provides meals to families and children in our community, I wonder whether these organizations are working to address the root causes of food insecurity.

When I sign up to volunteer, I often don’t question the organization’s efforts beyond the specific task I’m there to do. But I realize now that I should. I should ask what MIFA is doing to eliminate the need to deliver meals to seniors. When volunteering at Café du Memphis, one of Dorothy Day House’s fundraisers to provide temporary housing and support services for families experiencing homelessness, I should also learn about their efforts to advocate for policies and practices that tackle the root causes of homelessness.

I’m not saying these organizations aren’t doing this; I’m saying I do not know because I haven’t done that level of questioning or research yet.

Committing to True Generosity

This reflection has inspired me to commit to deeper, more impactful forms of service. In addition to continuing my volunteer work, I will continue to learn about the systems of oppression that create the need for charity and fight to dismantle those systems. Thoughts and prayers, community service, donations, volunteering—they’re all acts of charity. But they are no substitute for justice, no matter how well-intentioned.

Our acts of kindness mean nothing if we don’t confront and challenge the systems of oppression that allow some to thrive while others struggle. If we ignore the inequalities that make charity necessary, then our kindness might make us more a part of the problem than the solution. True generosity, which is the goal, requires a shift in focus from alleviating suffering to eliminating the causes of that suffering, and I am determined to be a part of that transformative change.

With love and true generosity,

Tamera