Delighted to get the chance to see @darrenwalker speak at @BritishAcademy_ this evening.

(And indeed to meet him at the earlier lunchtime roundtable. CLANG).

Didn't manage to live tweet so here's a few choice bits from my notes instead. (from which a blog will follow).

One repeated point that stuck with me was importance of philanthropic institutions in helping society, and indeed philanthropists to engage in much deeper reflection and self-analysis.

Think I tend to assume everyone spends 90% of their time doing that, but turns out not.

One anecdote recounted speaking recently to room of mega-rich Silicon Valley unicorns & getting clear sense that they had absolutely no truck with idea that system which had enabled their success could be somehow flawed or unfair

Timely reminder from outside my bubble.

Liked the point that “fighting for social justice is not like designing a vaccine”- progress is not necessarily cumulative, can be easily lost and is subject to constant challenge, so the fight never really “ends”

The analogy drawn was that Ford Foundation funded legal challenges against voter suppression back in the 1960s, but is now having to do the same thing again.

“Inclusion is NOT necessarily the default mode of humanity- it needs to be constantly fought for”.

As a philanthropy history nerd, enjoyed the mention of Henry Ford II’s decision to split with the Foundation & possible lesson for today that a shift from generosity to justice might need philanthropists today to “get uncomfortable” (albeit hopefully w/o the same histrionics!)

V interested in analogy between Ford Foundation’s funding for development of “Public Interest Law” in 60s and recent decision to set up programme to fund “Public Interest Technology” & support creation of generation of technologists incentivised to work on public interest issues.

Additional point on this: recent Zuckerberg congressional hearings were “the intersection of private interests & democracy, and democracy lost”.

Argument being that public interest tech could help redress imbalance in engagements between tech giants and govt.

On the qn of philanthropy, power & justice, the claim was that the world is changing and that qn is increasingly not “what are you giving back?” but “what are you giving up?”

(Does this suggest acceptance of critique of Win-Win solutions?)

Given my arguments in most recent Giving Thought podcast about role of philanthropy in diversity & inclusion, was particularly delighted to hear Walker say that he describes important part of Foundation’s role to his staff as “bringing issues from margins to the mainstream”!

Finally, interesting to hear him directly address criticisms aimed at him in Anand Giridharadas’ book & argue case for pragmatism over polemic and benefit of engaging w/ people as they are rather than just castigating (and making them defensive).

Right, that’s enough of that.

It’s about all I can make out from my scrawls for now, and also this train is very stuffy and pendelino-ing all over the shop so I might well vomit if i do any more.

Almost forgot to mention: he also referenced the rap battle in Hamilton between Jefferson and Hamilton in context of challenges of addressing vested interests and getting people to accept solutions which diminish their own power/wealth

Which I was very, VERY down with.