What Do We Actually Mean When We Say “Power and Privilege”?: Definitions From the Unpacking Power & Privilege in the Energy Industry Working Group

By Rachel Dortin, Lima Hossain, Chyanne Husar, Larvetta L. Loftin-Arnold, Patrice McFarlin, Hope Medina, and Sonakshi Saxena

The energy sector is in the middle of one of the most consequential transitions in its history. Infrastructure is aging, requiring costly replacements and upgrades. Demand is growing, also requiring new infrastructure. Policies are changing, and pressure is mounting from regulators, investors, and communities. 

Decisions are being made right now that will have impacts that outlast all of our careers. Decisions around where resources flow, how plans are shaped, who defines success are being made every day by people who hold a lot of power.

And the people who will carry the burdens of these decisions are rarely, if at all, in the room to shape them.

We’ve thought about this for a while. In each of our workstreams, we think about who has the power to make decisions. Who has the privilege to challenge ideas. Who is invited to the table—and who isn’t.

We believe that many people working in this industry are also wrestling with the same questions we are. They’re doing it quietly. Often alone, and often with the belief or knowledge that they themselves do not have the power to do anything to change those conditions. 

The Unpacking Power & Privilege in the Energy Industry Working Group (PPWG), co-facilitated by The Shared Space Project, Encolor, HUSARCH, and Strategic Coyote LLC, was formed to turn individual thoughts into group conversation, and group conversation into collective action. 

One of the first things we did together was craft definitions. We wrestled with these ideas, questioned one another, and shaped something that we could agree upon ourselves. 

Power

Power is the capacity to make choices and influence outcomes — for yourself and, at times, for others. It includes both internal power (your ability to use your voice, agency, and boundaries, whether or not you are aware of this power) and external power (access to resources, authority, or participation in government, regulatory, or other hierarchical systems that shape decisions and opportunities).

Power exists on a spectrum that differs at the personal, interpersonal, and institutional levels. Power can be used to create, sustain, or challenge harmful systems. People may have power in certain spaces, but not in others, and how one is able to acknowledge or use their power is deeply dependent on their intersectional experience.

While one person may be granted power in any room they enter based on their identity alone, another may have to fight for their power because of their identity. Power, no matter how it is granted, isn't inherently good or bad; its impact depends on how it is recognized, shared, and applied.

Privilege

Privilege refers to the advantages, access, and benefits people hold because of governmental policies, their social position, identity, socioeconomic status, or accumulated experience. Some forms of privilege are unearned, stemming from systems and historical contexts that advantage certain groups over others. Others are earned, built through effort, learning, or professional and personal growth.

Many people do not recognize their privilege, whether it is earned or unearned, because they see themselves struggling in other aspects or because they worked hard to achieve their privilege. But privilege is, inherently, about the rights, respect, and trust that others give you based on their perception of your identity, background, and experience.

Privilege is often tied to our ability to choose how we respond to a situation, what we do or do not share with others about our identities, how we navigate a conversation. Groups or individuals with less choice tend to carry less privilege.

Privilege, or lack thereof, is often granted to or denied a person based on their education, religious or spiritual affiliation, socioeconomic status, race, gender, ethnicity, ability, or other marker of identity. Privilege can be leveraged both positively and negatively. Recognizing privilege is not about blame; it's about awareness of how our circumstances, identities, and experiences shape the power and opportunities available to us and others.

These definitions were developed by Rachel Dortin, Lima Hossain, Chyanne Husar, Larvetta L. Loftin-Arnold, Patrice McFarlin, Hope Medina, and Sonakshi Saxena, and Tori Willis.

These definitions are a working foundation for continued conversations about what power and privilege look like in the industry so we can begin to unpack its impact. Part of what this group is committed to is continuing to refine our shared language as we go deeper into case studies, real organizational experiences, and hard conversations.

If you work in the energy industry and you're also thinking about how power and privilege shape your organization or your work, we’d love for you to join us. Reach out to us at joinus@thesharedspaceproject.org to get on the list and attend our next meeting.