Equity is NOT a substitute for Equality.

Equality is a topic that we have been talking about since the inception of this nation. As the U.S. continues to go increasingly diverse, we continue to grapple with the challenges of creating equal opportunities and ensuring equal treatment for all Americans. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten very far nor have we been very successful in ensuring that the U.S. offers equal opportunities and treats every one of its citizens equally. The disparities in this country run far, wide, and deep.

In a nation that is rid with systemic discrimination like ours, equal treatment only works to deepen and perpetuate the long-standing inequalities that minoritized Americans face. The path to equality requires enacting equity. Equity has proven to effectively increase access, opportunities, and success of historically excluded and disadvantaged communities- but equity is not an easy pill for everyone to swallow- especially for people from privileged identity groups who have been accustomed to the unearned privileges that their dominant identities have allowed them to enjoy. Some Americans view equity as a form of reverse discrimination, oppression, or a handout that is takes away opportunities from others.

The pushback against equity practices is working to reverse the progress that our nation has made towards creating systems that allow for the upward mobility and success of minoritized Americans. The recent Supreme Court ruling that ruled against race-based college admissions is just one example of how the resistance to equity is a real threat to the progress of women and Black, Indigenous, People of Color. The equity pushback is a real threat to DEI progress and one of the things I’m realizing through the work I do with organizations is that there are too many decision makers that believe that equity is a substitute for excellence.

 Equity does not replace excellence, but it does enhance it. Tune in below to learn more about my thoughts on this topic!