What is the concept of equity that is often misunderstood?
Aaron J. Griffen, Ph.D. @DrAaronJGriffen
Chief Executive Officer, Prosperity Educators, LLC
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Consultant
@DrAaronJGriffen
The concept of equity that is often misunderstood is that it is equality. Equity is not equality; equality is not equity. Equality is centered in fairness for all. The notion of fairness in equality is comfortable because it may not force systemic change, only starting from where we are now and sustaining the status quo. This is not to say that Equity trumps Equality, but rather a deeper way of enacting change. Equality is a simple short term solution that overtime results in people having to prove they deserve equality (as in equal pay for the same position despite work experience and education level) and in other cases entitled to equality (such as in equal pay for the same position despite having less overall work experience and education). Whereas equality is about everyone getting the same thing from where they currently exist, Equity, for example, is about providing for those who did not start at the same starting place. This does not mean that suddenly, people who don't work hard deserve everyone else's resources, or that because someone is older, they deserve a higher role in an organization. That is what equity has been attributed to. Most recently, some call equity racism because they claim it goes against folks earning their way through merit, thus dividing folks by race and gender. That belief in itself is proof that equity is essential because to proclaim that everyone has an equal opportunity toward the "pursuit happiness'' is unrealized. Throughout the history of this nation, attempts by certain groups to pursue happiness were met with political, psychological, emotional, and physical violence - Tulsa, Oklahoma; Rosewood, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; and Loving v. Virginia - to name a few. Further, to argue that equity is racist by removing merit is itself a biased and/or systemically racist statement, assuming that anyone not of a certain race getting a promotion did so because of their race (the argument against affirmative action).
Equity is problematic for individuals and groups who see their status in society threatened by folks who receive a perceived advantage. Any threat to power and privilege is perceived as reverse racism and reverse discrimination. The folks who claim this, for example, in response to Black farmers receiving aid to forgive debt fail to recognize that for something to go in reverse, it must first go forward. Therefore, claiming reverse racism and discrimination acknowledges that the racism and discrimination was forwarded onto the Black farmers. Thus, any change to a policy that gave certain farmers an advantage over Black farmers, which seemed to be just fine, now feels like oppression when that advantage is provided for the Black farmers. It doesn’t matter when this happened, the ramifications are still being felt by the Black farmers. Equity is about attempts to fill in gaps, close gaps and make restitution and reparation for those who have been systemically, historically and dare I say "traditionally" left out and behind. Systemically means by policy, law and practice across multiple industries. Historically means throughout every event and industry in our nation's history. Traditionally means that a "natural order" has been believed, enacted, and fulfilled through institutional praxis - meaning it is embedded. When one hears cries against losing traditions and heritages, that means equity is doing its job, if only a little bit. Equity restructures the system; Equality only reforms it. Equality makes hot dogs and hamburgers out of red, yellow, orange and green Play-Doh. However, it is still Play-Doh once you "reform" it and put it back in the predetermined canister, which finishes the reform. Equity takes Play-Doh and transforms it into whatever is needed according to the person playing with it, even if what they need causes the Play-Doh to crumble, become hardened and not be Play-Doh any more. It cannot be reformed into what it was no matter what prefabricated canister to which we return it. Hence, the discomfort of equity - Play-Doh is transformation beyond reform and thus forces the people, places and things that created it to change what they do to engage it.
That is why Equity is often misunderstood. Many don't know what it truly means, what it sounds like, what it looks like, nor, most importantly, what it feels like. Equity is why states are banning racial and sexual sensitivity training, discussions, dialogues about current social issues like the insurrection on January 6th, and opportunities for students to gain credits for civic engagement projects that engage policy makers - the first amendment right to lobby your government. Equality of information and perspective ensures the sustained, "balanced", "natural order" view of the United States while the "deficient,'' "unnatural", "lawfully" enacted practices of separation by race, gender, sexuality and economic status remain hidden: Redlining; Gerrymandering; Voter Suppression; Native American Boarding Schools; Women's Suffrage; John Punch, 1640; Obergefell v. Hodges; and Lau v. Nichols. As long as we focus on equality, the allocation of access and availability reaches all individuals regardless of income, economic standing, social network, and privilege. This means things stay the same despite new access because everyone gets the same access, even those who don't need it. Imagine the CEO who makes 1 million dollars a month getting a stimulus check during COVID. Equity on the other hand provides stimulus checks to individuals and families making under 150K in addition to the unemployment checks they are getting. Is Equity perfect? It is not. That is because equity has a moving target of trying to figure out the needs of the most marginalized and excluded groups by actually asking them their needs. Had equity been the focus in March, 2020, frontline workers, restaurant workers, and grocery store workers for example would have received free medical care, treatment and supplies at the start of the COVID shut down. However, the issue is who counts as frontline workers, restaurant workers and grocery store personnel when CEOs, Managers, and Administrators who never touch the sales floor or see patients line up for their free supplies too - under the guidance that they are frontline, restaurant and grocery workers. The technicality of descriptions makes Equity imperfect; YET, it is essential and requires much more checks, balances, and accountability to be done well or at all. Equity is rarely easy and can be seen as counter perfection. Equality works towards perfection and the possibility of ease. The failure to do what is uneasy is what causes the misunderstanding of the concept of Equity. It is not meant to be easy for everyone. Doing the right thing, for the right reasons, according to the right of people to simply exist for the "pursuit of happiness", rarely is.
Aaron J. Griffen, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, Prosperity Educators, LLC
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Consultant | Author | Speaker | Urban Education Policy & Analysis
Website: www.DrAaronJGriffen.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @DrAaronJGriffen
Author/Editor:
Challenges to Integrating Diversity Equity and Inclusion Programs in Organizations Information Age Publishing (IAP)
Equity is problematic for individuals and groups who see their status in society threatened by folks who receive a perceived advantage. Any threat to power and privilege is perceived as reverse racism and reverse discrimination. The folks who claim this, for example, in response to Black farmers receiving aid to forgive debt fail to recognize that for something to go in reverse, it must first go forward. Therefore, claiming reverse racism and discrimination acknowledges that the racism and discrimination was forwarded onto the Black farmers. Thus, any change to a policy that gave certain farmers an advantage over Black farmers, which seemed to be just fine, now feels like oppression when that advantage is provided for the Black farmers. It doesn’t matter when this happened, the ramifications are still being felt by the Black farmers. Equity is about attempts to fill in gaps, close gaps and make restitution and reparation for those who have been systemically, historically and dare I say "traditionally" left out and behind. Systemically means by policy, law and practice across multiple industries. Historically means throughout every event and industry in our nation's history. Traditionally means that a "natural order" has been believed, enacted, and fulfilled through institutional praxis - meaning it is embedded. When one hears cries against losing traditions and heritages, that means equity is doing its job, if only a little bit. Equity restructures the system; Equality only reforms it. Equality makes hot dogs and hamburgers out of red, yellow, orange and green Play-Doh. However, it is still Play-Doh once you "reform" it and put it back in the predetermined canister, which finishes the reform. Equity takes Play-Doh and transforms it into whatever is needed according to the person playing with it, even if what they need causes the Play-Doh to crumble, become hardened and not be Play-Doh any more. It cannot be reformed into what it was no matter what prefabricated canister to which we return it. Hence, the discomfort of equity - Play-Doh is transformation beyond reform and thus forces the people, places and things that created it to change what they do to engage it.
That is why Equity is often misunderstood. Many don't know what it truly means, what it sounds like, what it looks like, nor, most importantly, what it feels like. Equity is why states are banning racial and sexual sensitivity training, discussions, dialogues about current social issues like the insurrection on January 6th, and opportunities for students to gain credits for civic engagement projects that engage policy makers - the first amendment right to lobby your government. Equality of information and perspective ensures the sustained, "balanced", "natural order" view of the United States while the "deficient,'' "unnatural", "lawfully" enacted practices of separation by race, gender, sexuality and economic status remain hidden: Redlining; Gerrymandering; Voter Suppression; Native American Boarding Schools; Women's Suffrage; John Punch, 1640; Obergefell v. Hodges; and Lau v. Nichols. As long as we focus on equality, the allocation of access and availability reaches all individuals regardless of income, economic standing, social network, and privilege. This means things stay the same despite new access because everyone gets the same access, even those who don't need it. Imagine the CEO who makes 1 million dollars a month getting a stimulus check during COVID. Equity on the other hand provides stimulus checks to individuals and families making under 150K in addition to the unemployment checks they are getting. Is Equity perfect? It is not. That is because equity has a moving target of trying to figure out the needs of the most marginalized and excluded groups by actually asking them their needs. Had equity been the focus in March, 2020, frontline workers, restaurant workers, and grocery store workers for example would have received free medical care, treatment and supplies at the start of the COVID shut down. However, the issue is who counts as frontline workers, restaurant workers and grocery store personnel when CEOs, Managers, and Administrators who never touch the sales floor or see patients line up for their free supplies too - under the guidance that they are frontline, restaurant and grocery workers. The technicality of descriptions makes Equity imperfect; YET, it is essential and requires much more checks, balances, and accountability to be done well or at all. Equity is rarely easy and can be seen as counter perfection. Equality works towards perfection and the possibility of ease. The failure to do what is uneasy is what causes the misunderstanding of the concept of Equity. It is not meant to be easy for everyone. Doing the right thing, for the right reasons, according to the right of people to simply exist for the "pursuit of happiness", rarely is.
Aaron J. Griffen, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, Prosperity Educators, LLC
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Consultant | Author | Speaker | Urban Education Policy & Analysis
Website: www.DrAaronJGriffen.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @DrAaronJGriffen
Author/Editor:
Challenges to Integrating Diversity Equity and Inclusion Programs in Organizations Information Age Publishing (IAP)