Thoughts on Equity, Equality & Justice pt 1
Big Idea: for our world to achieve the justice, equity & equality I want to see,
I will need to look for ways to forfeit my privilege & opportunities - even when it costs me something.
Conversations about equality, equity & justice are not new. However, there are a lot of new ways in which I, at 37 with 3 kids, am processing what that means, what it looks like & what is required of me. I wanted to share where I am with it.
I actually had a whole blog for this already written up built around the idea of a pendulum swinging (apparently, it’s ‘pen·juh·luhm’? I’m pretty sure I’ve always pronounced it ‘pen-duh-lum’ & my ego is hoping I’m not the only one). The premise was that the pendulum has been pushed drastically to one side for so long that it would have to swing past the middle before it can find balance.
But, especially with the help of some friends, I’m recognizing that balance can be different than equality, equity & justice. Balance isn’t always the answer. This feels a little black & white, but if it's Love vs Hate...balance is not the answer. Love is the answer.
When it comes to so many things happening in our world right now, I’m starting to see ways that ‘balance’ isn’t really the finish line or the answer. Rather, things like equity - love - equality - justice.
So, here we are. I’m abandoning my attempt at an analogy & I just want to share some pieces I’m wrestling with when it comes to these issues of race, gender, religion, orientation, etc we find ourselves facing.
I’m feeling convicted that the only way to achieve equity, equality & justice
is by willingly sacrificing the privileges & circumstances I (even unknowingly) have benefited from.
As a cis-gendered white guy, I’ve been a huge benefactor of the current system.
The playing field has never been fair for me. I’ve always been privileged. Life has always been stacked in my favor. That doesn’t mean I haven’t worked hard to get where I am or I don’t deserve it, but I’ve never had to overcome circumstances that so many others have to in order to be where I am. It’s also not something that I’m sure I even recognized for a VERY long time.
For a lot of people, life has not been fair to them (in the more traditional use of the phrase). They’ve been marginalized because of skin color, gender, orientation, religion, etc. I’m starting to wrestle with the idea that there are ways in which the playing field will never truly be fair unless I willingly, intentionally & expectedly forfeit the advantages I’ve always had.
To be honest...that’s a statement that I’m not even 100% sure how to live out quite yet, but am still convicted to strive for.
Even if I’m still trying to figure out exactly what it looks like, as someone who is a privileged cis-gendered white male, I wrestle with what the desire for equity, equality & justice requires of me.
Does it mean I won’t be able to accomplish certain goals in life?
Does it change the goals that I hope to accomplish?
Circumstances have been so unfairly ‘fair’ for me for so long, I’m wondering if things being unfair (negatively) for me & other cis-gendered white guys for awhile…maybe that is fair? I don’t think I’m saying we should become marginalized (no one should be)...just that it might feel like we’re being marginalized when we lose the level of privilege we’ve experienced for so long.
For instance, there may be something in my life (job, promotion, opportunity) that I get passed up for or miss out on as our world hopefully continues to shift more toward equity, equality & justice. As we work through our past as a nation & through our often subconscious biases - whether that be race, gender, religion, orientation, etc - maybe it’s fair if things aren’t so fair for me.
All of that doesn’t mean that we fellow white, cis-gendered guys haven’t worked hard.
It doesn’t mean that we don’t have meaningful skills & gifts.
It doesn’t mean we’re valued more or less than anyone else.
Rather, it means that favor has been bent in our direction for far too long & if we truly desire a diverse & healthy culture, I can’t imagine it happening without us sacrificing that privilege - that unbalanced playing field - in ways that might feel unfair to us.
At some point, doesn’t there need to be a group of white cis-gendered guys that doesn’t get the job...the promotion...the opportunity? Who doesn’t use their influence to keep their influence?
Sometimes...maybe the more important thing is helping someone else’s dreams come true.
Maybe even if it’s at the expense of one of ours?
The way forward will cost someone something. If it doesn’t start costing me, it’ll keep costing the marginalized. And I think I’m starting to realize that it’s going to have to start costing me more than it has if I’m going to call myself a follower of Jesus who is trying to build the kind of world He’s called us to build...the kind of world I want my kids & grandkids to live in (more on that soon).
Thank you to so many friends who have challenged, questioned, pushed & encouraged me as I wrestle with this.
