There's been a lot of talk in my part of the virtual garden about the distinction between equality and equity. Not sure of its provenance. It seems to be a defensive reaction by Whites on the right to concerns raised by their fellow Americans about equity. As far as I can tell, the thinking goes like this: "the American promise is about equality, not equity." Equity is then cast in straw man garb as the assurance of equal outcomes for all citizens, and equality is cast in white hat as the assurance of equal opportunity. The story then continues with the explanation that America has already achieved equal opportunity because the 14th Amendment makes that the law. There is therefore no need to invest more time on these questions of racial equity.
Of course, the American dream is not merely about equality or equity. Equity, rightly understand as "equal and exact justice for all," as LBJ put it when signing the Voting Rights Act, is not the promise but the minimum standard we expect of ourselves. However, the goal, as Jesus taught us, is liberation from those things that prevent our quiet enjoyment of the superabundant cornucopia God has set before us, so that we might be free to live in holy friendship with God and each other. If we stick to this divine mission, we can bypass woke and fix what's broke!
A friend shared this tweet that captures this distinction nicely.
Inspired by JohnWestBurnham: Equality is giving everyone a box, even if they don’t need one. Equity is giving those who need more boxes, more boxes. Liberation is removing the fence. Are you closing the disadvantaged gap by using more boxes, or better still, removing the fence?
Jim Crow: The Yankee Variant
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and more!
This week's episode of the Race on the Rocks podcast is the most significant for me personally because it helped me understand at last how our cities hardened into the donut-shaped, segregated spaces with which we struggle today. Also, as a Southerner, I am accustomed to condescension from Northerners on matters of race, and I had no idea just how perniciously Jim Crow metastasized in the North. Being from Louisiana, I thought of the KKK as something generated in the parish adjacent to mine where David Duke and the like flourished. I was stunned to learn that the KKK was a dominant political force throughout the North. I'm confident this episode will help you understand how things got to be the way they are so we can fix them. Listen now!
On Tearing Down Monuments and Renaming Schools
Perhaps you were as perplexed as I when you heard of the San Francisco school board's plan to disallow schools to be named after American heroes like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps you were simply angry. I spent much time listening to folks on both sides of that question, seeking to understand. Here's my take on that question.
Answering Atheists: Why I Trust in God
Should faith be banished from the public square? Does God exist? If so, where is God? This week, I concluded my series called Dialog with a Skeptic. After weeks of dealing with questions of doubt, faith vs. science, faith and violence, faith and the bad stuff in the Bible, and other questions raised by atheists and Christians alike, it was my turn to respond to my interlocutors. ]n this message, I give an account of my faith, explaining why trust in God by rational people is warranted.
Lagniappe Love
I've enjoyed this week the art of one of my wife's oldtime favorites, CeCe Winans. Her family has an unfair allocation of musical talent, it seems. I've especially loved this CeCe classic, Alone in His Presence. Enjoy!
