Grasping at The Root of Inequity

By: Brittany Janay Kess

One of my favorite definitions of “radical” to reference is that of Angela Davis. She simply and concisely defines radical as, “grasping things at the root.” When I reflect on that definition, I imagine a Black woman kneeled in a beautiful garden, tending to the soil, digging out the weeds with an intentional focus on getting to the root. She is wise enough to know that if she doesn’t get to the roots and merely focuses on what appears to be growing at the surface, those weeds will return, compromising the seeds she will plant.??

This metaphor resonates with me and reflects my understanding and experiences doing equity and justice work. My experience over the past twelve years feels like my own personal journey tending to metaphorical “gardens,” or systems with intent to get at the root of inequity whether it manifests in people and culture practices, learning and experience design, pay and compensation philosophies, or program design in K-12 settings. And, while these areas of practice may be different, there are some fundamental conditions that represent the roots of inequity (as pictured below).??

In my experience, inequity thrives under the following conditions (and we need not look any further than the news related to equity and justice that are dominating the headlines today to understand the impact):??

• The comfort, lived experiences, and truths of those with the most access to power are prioritized.??
• There is no regard for history nor recognition of power dynamics, and instead an emphasis on “one size fits all” approaches and default assumptions of meritocracy.??
• Information that supports individual agency and empowered decision-making is withheld from communities, perpetuating a lack of transparency that creates mistrust.??
• There is an overemphasis on “good intentions” or being seen as a “good person,” without attention to impact, outcomes, and accountability, particularly among those “in power.”
• The default stance on change is “well, it’s always been that way,” perpetuating a cycle of maintaining the status quo. ?

Whether the garden, or system is predominantly white “Corporate America,” a “progressive” tech startup, a university, or non-profit, inequity can and will thrive under these conditions…lest we grasp at the root.????

We need not look any further than some of the day’s most visible headlines related to equity and justice to see these conditions play out. Consider, Dr. Sherita Golden, former Chief Diversity Officer of Johns Hopkins University, who apologized and subsequently resigned after [white] leaders took offense to her textbook definition of “privilege.” It is one example of the ways in which white comfort is prioritized over the truth-telling that is requisite to equity and justice.??

The “StopWoke” or “Anti-DEI” legislation that are present across the United States are indicative of this deliberate erasure and disregard for history. The lawsuit brought against Fearless Fund, a Black woman led Venture Capital Fund that invests in businesses founded by women of color, by conservative group, American Alliance for Equal Rights, represents a delusion that has no regard for history, power, and the systematic shifts that are necessary to disrupt and correct centuries of inequity.??

If the aforementioned conditions are those that represent the roots of inequity that must be unearthed and uprooted, I imagine the principles that move us toward equity represent the seeds to be planted.??

At Be Equitable, we define The Principles of Activating Equity as the necessary conditions, the foundation which equity is realized in our workplaces, communities, and beyond. These principles are less prescriptive than a broad set of questions and considerations that can be applied to any context where equity is the goal.???

If equity is the goal, then we must:??

1. Center Experiences of Those Most Impacted?

This means asking ourselves and doing the work to understand…?

• Who is most impacted by the oppression, dehumanization, or inequity we are seeking to address???
• How do we hold ourselves accountable to trust, affirm, and amplify their experience???
• In what ways can we bring their insights, genius, and “ways of being” into full consideration? ?

2. Contextualize with history, data, and power dynamics:??

This means asking critical questions like…?

• What data, power dynamics and/or historical context influence the present???
• Which narratives are dominant and who has benefited from the current status quo???
• What narratives have been silenced and/or missing???
• What can we learn from history???
• What trauma or mistrust might be present that needs tending to???

3. Cultivate Trust, Community, and Transparency:??

This means asking… ?

• What information needs to be shared???
• How can we communicate movement and progress in ways that acknowledge remnants of mistrust???
• What does it mean to embody an ethic that is less about individual gain and benefit and more about communal progress and care???

4. Commit To Repairing Harm:??

This is an ongoing commitment… ?

• When harm happens (because we are human) what is our path towards reconciliation???
• What does it mean to be accountable even when one is not directly responsible???

5. Collaborate To Reimagine Something Different:??

This is the beautiful work of moving beyond the status quo, asking ourselves…?

• What is our wildest dream, imagination for our future, our communities, our organizations, our policies, the things we create???
• What is possible once we are in right relationship with each other???

The Principles of Activating Equity are an ongoing invitation to embody a lens that centers humanity, interrogates and reimagines systems. Requisite to this is a radical posture that moves beyond the surface and grasps at the root.??