On lifting as you climb and creating a future of intersectional giving

I was born, raised, and educated in the Philippines. We were colonised for over 300 years by the Spaniards but despite that I still grew up with the pre-colonial concept of Kapwa - a Filipino word that translates to “our shared humanity.” Where I come from everybody’s your sister and everybody's a brother. And that sisterhood is not about us having that same experiences but rather the recognition, that whatever happens to you affects me and whatever happens to me, affects you. I grew up understanding that we all have a responsibility to each other. 

My mum is my greatest inspiration. She passed away but she is still the bravest, and most generous woman I've ever known. From an early age, I watched how generous she was with her time. Setting up Women of Colour Australia is my giant love letter to her. It's almost like I'm reaching back in time, wishing that she had access to an organisation like this where she could belong, and know that she is valued. Everything I do, comes from thinking about what my mum would do and say. To the world, she’s just a tiny Filipino woman with an accent but to me, she was the world.

If I go back to where I came from, the Philippines is a very matriarchal society. The women in our community, care for the community and they care for the elders as well. 

Yet we've been conditioned that there's only one space, especially in leadership, and that it’s reserved for a select few. But there is room for everyone. And having the recognition, that if you have the privilege to share what you know, pass the microphone, lift up your sister and hold the door wide open until she steps in – that will give more women the power to change the world. 

I give by building communities, and I've been building women focused communities for 15 years. For me, Women of Colour Australia is my greatest act of giving. It’s a nonprofit organisation and for the first 22 months I did not receive a single cent or salary, but now the organisation is much bigger than me. I've always known that there’s a space for us in Australian leadership and in what have been predominantly White centric spaces. I give by building spaces for women who look and sound like me, who are on the margins and often overlooked for leadership positions. I also give by mentoring young Women of Colour. Angela Davis said that you have to lift as you climb. For me, as I'm climbing, I’m lifting the next generation, because someone did that for me. It's both a privilege and a responsibility.

I've learned that it's very much a give and take relationship. Whatever I give, I gain back so much more. I’ve also learned that when you give women what they want and need, we can change the world. The impact that we can make comes down to the power and solidarity of the sisterhood.

I want to see giving become more intersectional. When we view diversity in this country, it's often viewed through the prism of gender. But for us, when I go to spaces and aggregate, I want to expand that because the intersections are there - gender, ability, class and so many more things.

At the heart of intersectionality is centring the voice and experience of the most marginalised. And I want to see this in philanthropy too. I am a philanthropist, but the face of philanthropy is not my face. I want to champion Women of Colour. We want to reimagine and reshape these systems because there's enough room for everyone. We want to open up the ability to give in different ways - by giving your time to community, mentoring young women or men. I want us to value these little acts of philanthropy, and to realise that showing love and care to other people, that's philanthropy too. 

A lot of the work we do is around opening and democratising leadership structures within Australia and I want to open our programmes to as many Women of Colour as possible. I want to mobilise and galvanise this community and centre collective care. It’s going back to that concept of Kapwa - you are my sister, and I want to take care of you - because who else is going to take care of us?