The following is commentary intended for discussion. Add your comments
Today’s racial justice activists tend to speak in terms of “equity” rather than the traditional tenets of American “equality.”
Equality refers to the state of being equal: all people treated the same way regardless of race or skin color.
Equity generally refers to the idea of people being treated differently to achieve fairness. Some say that means giving black Americans, women, or other minorities more opportunities, resources, and greater consideration, to account for for the belief that they cannot attain the same level without the special treatment.
Affirmative action could be considered equity-based. It meant, for example, that black students could be admitted to some colleges with lower test sores and fear qualifications than their white counterparts.
Some critics of affirmative action and equity, including some African Americans, say it inherently breeds more racism by fueling the perception that minorities are not able to achieve on their own– even when many do.
Equity demands that we see others, first, as their race. Equality requires that we look past a person’s race, in the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr.
What do you think about today’s shift toward “equity” vs. “equality”?
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