As a child, I dreamt of dying a martyr. Growing up the youngest of seven children in a faith-driven family, my evangelical Christian congregation largely shaped my life. I often heard stories of missionaries killed while serving in “unreached” parts of the world (locations that have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ), and I morbidly wished for a similar fate. I imagined that if I proved that I devoted my life to someone or something else, no one could speak ill of my legacy. From the second that I heard about the Minerva Fellowship during my freshman year at Union, I knew that I wanted to become a Fellow. However, it wasn't until this past year that I began thinking critically about all the complexities of the philanthropic sector, and questioned what right I have to travel to a foreign country to "help" the locals. Now that I have secured a Minerva Fellowship placement in Thailand for the 2021-2022 cycle, I want to understand how I can effectively aid the local population without harming the community due to my cultural ignorance.
My thesis is inspired by my desire to separate the intention of my actions from the impact that they have on others, to dissect my privilege as a wealthy, White, Christian, American, cisgendered woman, and to educate myself and others about the best route for intersectional advocacy, both locally and globally. In this thesis, I identified common misconceptions in the world of philanthropy through the lens of race, power, privilege, class, and gender. In chapter one, I described the history of American altruism and discussed how the White savior complex has tainted a great many volunteer efforts. In chapter two, I dissertated the romanticization of global poverty, the role of Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, and explained how charity can be abused as a tool to elevate saviors rather than compassionately support marginalized communities. In chapter three, I examined the role of nonprofit organizations in alleviating global poverty and identified the best ways to help those in need.