I think it’s time to talk about what I refer to as an “equity bully.”
An “equity bully” is someone who presents themselves as someone who promotes equity, but once you get to know them they are *actually* promoting their own inequitable and bizarre agenda(s).
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An “equity bully” is someone who presents themselves as someone who promotes equity, but once you get to know them they are *actually* promoting their own inequitable and bizarre agenda(s).
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I’ll begin by saying equity is not something we should have to promote at all. It’s something we should embody. It’s something we should all be working toward.
However, that doesn’t happen for some folks and instead they constantly bring equity up in an inauthentic way.
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However, that doesn’t happen for some folks and instead they constantly bring equity up in an inauthentic way.
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Example:
A school wants to create a rewards program for student attendance. Someone hops in the conversation and claims it’s an equity issue (because it is). School asks what they should do instead, person suggests they have a *different* rewards program for grades.
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A school wants to create a rewards program for student attendance. Someone hops in the conversation and claims it’s an equity issue (because it is). School asks what they should do instead, person suggests they have a *different* rewards program for grades.
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Do you see what happened there?
The rewards program is still there, but now it may be with a another program that some random person suggested.
Rewards programs are garbage and how exactly does this solve the equity issue?
It doesn’t.
And that was just a benign example.
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The rewards program is still there, but now it may be with a another program that some random person suggested.
Rewards programs are garbage and how exactly does this solve the equity issue?
It doesn’t.
And that was just a benign example.
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In professional spaces I have mostly seen this with adults who fawn over donating money to children in Africa/Asia but are skeptical to help their *own* communities because “we don’t have starving children here” or “this doesn’t happen here.”
It does happen here, Carol!
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It does happen here, Carol!
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And, in real life I have encountered true equity bullies...folks who constantly scream “EQUITY!” but do not embody it in any sense of the word, and then weaponize equity to push their own bizarre agendas to the detriment of the group.
I’ve seen it happen on social media too.
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I’ve seen it happen on social media too.
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My first rule of thumb is that in all institutions equity needs a definition and a common mission. We need folks who are invested in doing the work, not just invested in promoting agendas.
Second, when nonsense like this happens, we HAVE to call it out.
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Second, when nonsense like this happens, we HAVE to call it out.
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Because at the end of the day, pushing agendas and empty platitudes around does not solve equity issues. Solving equity issues require top-down evaluation of what is happening, WHY that thing is happening, and actionable solutions of how to chip away at it until it’s gone.
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It can be a slow process at times, especially if you’ve got fools in your organization or school, but it’s a worthwhile one.
Equity is not an agenda and equity should not be a buzzword. It should be something we are ALL working toward.
Don’t be an equity bully.
9/9
Equity is not an agenda and equity should not be a buzzword. It should be something we are ALL working toward.
Don’t be an equity bully.
9/9
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