Community Voice and Visioning is Economic Justice - Reimagine's Dreamscape Journey

Economic justice is often defined by policies, metrics, and outcomes—minimum wages, unemployment rates, wealth gaps. But what if true economic justice isn't just about better numbers? What if it begins with the radical act of asking: Who gets to define what a just economy looks like?

For too long, the table for imagining our futures has been reserved for those with institutional power. Meanwhile, those most impacted by injustice—those building worker co-ops, fighting for tenants’ rights, and organizing for care workers—have been expected to implement someone else’s vision. We decided to flip that script.

Why We Embarked on a Community Visioning Process

In 2022, as we (Reimagine, formerly the Greater Washington Workforce Development Collaborative) underwent a robust listening and learning discovery process, which we announced last year, we heard a clear call from nonprofit and movement partners:

“We want to help shape the framework—not just respond to it.”

That feedback lit the path forward. If we are truly committed to economic justice, we must start by redistributing not just resources, but power—including the power to define problems, set priorities, and imagine solutions.

So, we launched the Dreamscape Process: a multi-month, community-led visioning journey centered on the leadership, wisdom, and lived experiences of those on the frontlines. This was not a traditional “engagement exercise.” It was a reintroduction of our mission in practice. As the Dreamscape process launched, a group of twenty-one (21) funders participated in a parallel learning series focused on supporting community led systems-change—recognizing that truly honoring community wisdom requires philanthropy to engage in its own political education beyond centering institutional assets.

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Source: Greater Washington Community Foundation