Fighting for Equality, Noble but misguided.
- OhSoSam
- Apr 19, 2019
- 3 min read
If you take a moment to analyze the current state of the world, you will observe marginalized and oppressed groups of people are gaining the courage to become social activists, demanding justice and equality. While a very noble fight, sometimes for the most basic of human rights, it is important to denote that simply fighting for equality will not get the job the done. Webster’s dictionary defines equality, as the quality or state of being equal[1]; and defines equal as of same measure, quantity or amount[2].
To those that face oppression, being equal to their oppressor would seemingly remove the problems of oppression by leveling the playing field. Regardless of the attributes for which they are discriminated, equality is not the ideal state that marginalized groups of people need. Making things equal for all people, historically only sets the outcomes as equal, but does not adequately modify the playing field to reach the outcomes that equality represents.
Making healthcare a universal right in a country theoretically allows everyone the right to be healthy, with the caveat that access to the healthcare is just as equal for those who did not have it, as those who have never had to go without. That would require providing access to healthcare, making access points to healthcare centrally stationed, it would require making information easily available, and making the cost of healthcare affordable for all. This intricate web of complexities highlights the need for a shift from equality to the more focused fight of equity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines equity as the absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically, or geographically[3]. Essentially the work of equity is to even the playing field by removing barriers that prevent equal outcomes for all people. A fight for equity acknowledges that systems inherently work against those who are not in power, or considered atypical. Systems that are modifiable but rarely change enough to embrace the groups considered to be on the fringe of society.
So what does the fight for equity look like? For every social issue the fight or fighters may look different, but the objectives are truly the same. Change the inherent nature of the system that oppresses groups of people, remove barriers that prevent equal outcomes, and ensure a system that does not revert to its original prejudices when the spotlight is no longer being shone. This is a fight that takes more than hysteria and outrage, this is a fight that takes strategic planning, it should be constant and feverous, it should engage stakeholders from the oppressed to the oppressors, it has to engage every facet of society, and will require shifting the mindset of those in power to be more self-less.
To be a change agent for equity is to lead a life of constant toil for the mission is not easy. It requires strength to persevere even when it seems like no progress is being made. It requires many sleepless nights, and early mornings. It requires educating those that have come before, and those that will come after. It requires passion, a passion for a better society, a passion for a better future, and a passion for change. While the long hard road may not be for everyone, everyone can play a role in the fight for equity.
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