Liberals sounding the clarion call to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and Black Lives Matter (BLM) have demonstrated some glaring missteps in how eagerly they support such initiatives or in their understanding of the application of the ideology itself.
The difference between "equity," as delineated in DEI, and "equality," as delineated in our Constitution, must be understood.
According to this report, "Equality means treating everyone the same – providing support and opportunity regardless of need or differences between individuals or groups based on shared traits like race, gender, and gender orientation … (while) equity means providing opportunities to individuals and classes of people based on their unique needs."
Thus, if a group of people possessing diverse traits, along with others without such traits, were all standing in line for a limited number of jobs, equality would mandate every candidate be treated the same with no one receiving priority; equity, however, mandates those in line with the diverse traits receive head-of-the-line privileges over those without them.
Some progressives frothing DEI at the mouth are so anxious to wave their liberal flag, they do so without undertaking the basic research necessary to support their effort. Such an example takes us to Newark, New Jersey.
In January, city officials sat down with delegates of a foreign country who sought Newark's support for their island nation's effort to hitch its wagon to America's DEI initiative. Eager to demonstrate their DEI-friendly city had global objectives, city officials jumped at the opportunity. A ceremony was held at which an agreement was signed vowing such support by Newark officials who declared their pride in partnering with people from a diverse culture. A photograph of the event was released, showing those officials and the foreign delegates with beaming smiles, displaying the agreement for all to see.
The country with which Newark signed this deal was an unheard of Hindu nation located off the coast of South America called "Kailasa." But there is good reason as to why the country was unheard of – it is simply nonexistent! It was a fake nation created by an infamous Indian scam artist, cult leader and alleged rapist by the name of Swami Nithyananda.
Minimal effort was needed by Newark officials to determine that they were being scammed. However, they were so caught up in wokeism's DEI initiative, they rushed to show the world that Newark embraced the ideology on an international level. In their eagerness, they put common sense and logic aside, perhaps also unwilling to appear racist by even questioning the bona fides of the delegates' nonexistent country.
A most flagrant example of equity unfairly trumping equality occurred in the 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming Championship. Imagine two competitors tying with the exact same time but only one then being recognized at the awards presentation ceremony! That is exactly what happened to biological female swimmer and five-time SEC title winner Riley Gaines when she equaled the time of transgender female swimmer Lia Thomas. Officials ridiculously claimed that since they only had a single award for the same finishing position, Thomas should be photographed receiving it rather than both competitors together! Clearly, for Olympic officials the importance was on purely showing equity over equality.
Next, we go to Klein, Texas, where an incident occurring in 2020 underscored the glaring misperception Black Lives Matter (BLM) promotes among its followers to the detriment of all others.
The Klein incident was triggered by a group of blacks in a store, cutting in line ahead of a white customer waiting to pay for his items. He called the group out and explained the line was there for a purpose. The group left the store, awaiting the white customer's departure. Upon his exiting the store, they ambushed him as he stood defenseless with bags in both hands, pummeling and kicking as they shouted "black lives matter."
The BLM movement, sanctioned by society today, and Critical Race Theory (CRT), which is being taught in many schools to push slavery as a sin of a still-dominant white racism, have combined to negatively influence young black people, such as the Klein group. Accordingly, they now honestly believe they are to enjoy head-of-the-line privileges wherever they go in life.
BLM and CRT are teaching, "Equality be damned; full speed ahead with equity." Equity has become a dog whistle by which society is wrongly being taught there are those who, by virtue of possessing certain traits, are "more equal" than others and, for such others to atone for the sins of their forefathers long ago, these diverse individuals are entitled to such privileges. BLM/CRT activists suggest equity is necessary as whites suffer from systemic racism.
Deflating equality for all, liberals play the equity card to signal a necessary but unwarranted shift toward balance in society for members of the LGBTQ, immigration and other communities who allegedly are not being treated fairly. But conservatives question this approach, as "the pursuit of equity creates focus on individual groups within society to the exclusion of others – a position that runs contrary to the Founders' vision that America is a nation wherein 'all (individuals) are created equal.'"
We are witnessing the transition of America from equality for all to equity for some. Under the administration of President Joe Biden, this is being stuffed down our throats as evidenced by his recent Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal that uses the word "equity" 63 times. As liberals hoist the term upon America as the new gold standard, we are seeing its dark side through DEI and BLM – neither of which brings blacks and whites together via an equality-unity bridge but, rather, creates and widens a gap of inequality by promoting an equity priority.
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