MacKe zie
Scott
Sto ies
about
social
cha ge
te d
to
focus
o
the
people
at
the
top
of
the
sto y,
the
p omi e t
leade s,
the
la ge
i stitutio s,
the
wealthy
do o s
whose
ames
e d
up
i
the
headli e.
MacKe zie
Scott,
who
has
give
away
te s
of
billio s
of
dolla s
si ce
2019,
pushed
back
o
that
habit
di ectly
i
he
ow
wo ds.
“People
st uggli g
agai st
i equities
dese ve
ce te
stage
i
sto ies
about
the
cha ge
they
a e
c eati g,”
she
w ote,
addi g
that
this
holds
t ue
“equally,
pe haps
especially,
whe
thei
wo k
is
fu ded
by
wealth.”
She
made
this
poi t
while
a ou ci g
a
$2.7
billio
ou d
of
do atio s
to
286
o ga isatio s
i
Ju e
2021,
i
a
post
whe e
she
explicitly
said
she
had
wa ted
the
headli e
to
ead
“286
Teams
Empowe i g
Voices
the
Wo ld
Needs
to
Hea ,”
athe
tha
a
sto y
built
a ou d
he
ow
do atio ,
a
ge ui ely
u usual
i sti ct
fo
someo e
whose
ame
is
o e
of
the
most
ecog isable
i
mode
phila th opy.
Quote
of
the
day
by
MacKe zie
Scott
“People
st uggli g
agai st
i equities
dese ve
ce te
stage
i
sto ies
about
the
cha ge
they
a e
c eati g”
Whe e
this
quote
actually
comes
f om
Scott
w ote
this
i
a
Medium
post
titled
“Seedi g
by
Cedi g,”
published
o
15
Ju e
2021,
alo gside
he
the -husba d
Da
Jewett,
a ou ci g
the
$2.7
billio
give
to
286
o ga isatio s
wo ki g
i
commu ities
she
desc ibed
as
“histo ically
u de fu ded
a d
ove looked.”
I
that
same
post,
she
we t
fu the
tha
simply
ami g
he
ow
p efe e ce
fo
a
diffe e t
headli e,
w iti g
di ectly
that
“putti g
la ge
do o s
at
the
ce te
of
sto ies
o
social
p og ess
is
a
disto tio
of
thei
ole,”
a d
addi g
that
“a y
wealth
is
a
p oduct
of
a
collective
effo t
that
i cluded
them,”
efe i g
to
the
ve y
commu ities
whose
wo k
made
that
wealth
possible
i
the
fi st
place.
It
is
a
ge ui ely
u usual
thi g
fo
someo e
givi g
away
this
much
mo ey
to
say
publicly,
si ce
most
la ge
do atio s
atu ally
att act
atte tio
to
the
pe so
w iti g
the
cheque
athe
tha
the
people
actually
doi g
the
wo k
o
the
g ou d.
What
Scott’s
quote
is
eally
sayi g
Scott’s
message
he e
is
about
who
actually
eceives
visibility
a d
c edit
o ce
a
majo
social
p oblem
sta ts
getti g
eal
atte tio .
Whe
a
se ious
issue
fi ally
eaches
the
public
co ve satio ,
the
people
most
di ectly
affected
by
it
ca
e d
up
eceivi g
co side ably
less
ecog itio
tha
the
i stitutio s
o
do o s
who
late
p ovide
fu di g
o
publicity.
Scott
is
di ectly
challe gi g
that
patte .
He
wo ds
suggest
that
people
st uggli g
agai st
eal
i equity
a e
eve
simply
passive
ecipie ts
quietly
waiti g
fo
someo e
else
to
a ive
a d
fix
thei
situatio .
They
a e
ve y
ofte
the
o ga ise s,
the
advocates,
the
commu ity
leade s
a d
the
educato s
actually
d ivi g
the
cha ge
themselves,
lo g
befo e
a y
outside
fu di g
eve
shows
up
to
suppo t
it.
Why
the
people
actually
livi g
th ough
a
p oblem
dese ve
to
be
hea d
di ectly
People
who
expe ie ce
a
ge ui e
ha dship
te d
to
u de sta d
its
eal
co seque ces
i
ways
that
outside s,
howeve
well
i te tio ed,
ofte
ca ot
fully
g asp
f om
a
dista ce.
They
k ow
exactly
which
ba ie s
actually
exist
day
to
day,
which
p oposed
solutio s
have
al eady
quietly
failed,
a d
which
cha ges
would
ge ui ely
make
a
p actical
diffe e ce
i
thei
ow
lives.
That
ki d
of
ha d-wo ,
lived
k owledge
gets
ove looked
su p isi gly
ofte ,
pa ticula ly
whe
majo
decisio s
get
made
i
ooms
fa
away
f om
the
commu ities
those
decisio s
will
actually
affect.
Givi g
those
people
a
ge ui ely
ce t al
place
i
the
co ve satio
te ds
to
make
the
whole
discussio
co side ably
mo e
accu ate,
as
well
as
simply
mo e
fai .
The
eal
diffe e ce
betwee
helpi g
people
a d
actually
suppo ti g
thei
leade ship
The e
is
a
mea i gful
diffe e ce
betwee
doi g
somethi g
fo
a
g oup
of
people
a d
ge ui ely
suppo ti g
people
who
a e
al eady
wo ki g
ha d
to
imp ove
thei
ow
ci cumsta ces
themselves.
A
commu ity
ofte
al eady
has
its
ow
o ga isatio s,
campaig e s
a d
local
leade s
quietly
add essi g
a
p oblem
lo g
befo e
a y
outside
atte tio
a ives.
Outside
suppo t
ca
ce tai ly
b i g
eal
esou ces
i to
that
effo t,
but
that
does
ot
automatically
mea
the
outside s
p ovidi g
the
fu di g
should
become
the
actual
face
of
the
wo k
bei g
do e.
Scott’s
quote
is
eally
e cou agi g
a
model
whe e
the
people
ge ui ely
c eati g
the
cha ge
keep
hold
of
thei
ow
visibility
a d
age cy
th oughout,
athe
tha
quietly
havi g
it
abso bed
i to
someo e
else’s
sto y.
Why
the
way
a
sto y
gets
told
actually
shapes
who
gets
emembe ed
The
way
a y
sto y
about
social
p og ess
gets
told
ge ui ely
i flue ces
who
e ds
up
eceivi g
atte tio ,
c edibility
a d
fu the
suppo t
dow
the
li e.
If
cove age
of
a
cause
co siste tly
places
wealthy
do o s,
la ge
i stitutio s
o
well
k ow
public
figu es
at
the
ce t e
of
the
a ative,
the
people
actually
doi g
the
wo k
o
the
g ou d
ca
quietly
disappea
f om
the
sto y
altogethe ,
eve
though
they
we e
the e
the
e ti e
time.
Whe
those
same
commu ities
a e
placed
p ope ly
at
the
ce t e
i stead,
audie ces
te d
to
u de sta d
fa
mo e
clea ly
what
the
actual
p oblem
looks
like
up
close,
a d
exactly
who
has
bee
wo ki g
to
add ess
it
lo g
befo e
a y
headli e
eve
a ived.
What
“ce t e
stage”
ge ui ely
mea s
i
p actice
Scott’s
specific
use
of
the
ph ase
“ce t e
stage”
ca ies
eal
weight
he e.
It
does
ot
simply
mea
me tio i g
the
people
affected
by
i equity
somewhe e
i
the
sto y
as
a
passi g
detail.
It
mea s
actually
givi g
thei
expe ie ces
a d
thei
co t ibutio s
the
ge ui e
impo ta ce
they
dese ve
th oughout.
That
could
mea
liste i g
ca efully
to
thei
ow
pe spective,
p ope ly
highlighti g
thei
actual
achieveme ts,
ecog isi g
thei
ge ui e
expe tise,
a d
letti g
them
explai ,
i
thei
ow
wo ds,
exactly
what
ki d
of
cha ge
they
actually
wa t
to
see
happe .
Recog itio ,
u de stood
this
way,
becomes
simply
pa t
of
especti g
the
people
who
we e
al eady
doi g
the
wo k.
Othe
popula
quotes
by
MacKe zie
Scott
-
“A y
wealth
is
a
p oduct
of
a
collective
effo t
that
i cluded
them.” -
“Putti g
la ge
do o s
at
the
ce te
of
sto ies
o
social
p og ess
is
a
disto tio
of
thei
ole.” -
“The
social
st uctu es
that
i flate
wealth
p ese t
obstacles
to
them.
A d
despite
those
obstacles,
they
a e
p ovidi g
solutio s
that
be efit
us
all.”
Why
this
quote
is
eleva t
today
Ple ty
of
social
p oblems
today
get
discussed
mai ly
th ough
statistics,
i stitutio s
a d
fo mal
policy
debates,
all
of
which
ge ui ely
matte ,
but
which
ca
also
quietly
make
the
actual
people
behi d
the
umbe s
disappea
f om
view
e ti ely.
Scott’s
quote
pulls
the
focus
fi mly
back
o to
them.
People
affected
by
eal
i equity
a e
ve y
ofte
ot
simply
sitti g
a d
waiti g
fo
cha ge
to
a ive
f om
somewhe e
else.
They
may
al eady
be
o ga isi g,
campaig i g,
buildi g
ge ui e
solutio s
a d
suppo ti g
the
people
a ou d
them,
all
well
befo e
a y
outside
fu di g
o
media
atte tio
eve
fi ds
its
way
to
them.
The
b oade
lesso
he e
is
ge ui ely
a
simple
o e.
Whe
telli g
the
sto y
of
how
cha ge
actually
happe ed,
pay
eal
atte tio
to
the
people
who
we e
c eati g
it
f om
the
ve y
sta t,
ot
o ly
the
people
who
happe ed
to
become
associated
with
it
late
o .
Thei
voices
we e
eve
mea t
to
be
a
afte thought.
They
dese ved
to
be
pa t
of
the
sto y
f om
the
ve y
begi i g.