Equity v. Equality In Local Policy Racial equity is about good governance
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Some of these polices that Andrews cited include redlining and housing policy are part of a larger institutional racism.
Leon Andrews, the director of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) initiative has been working in this area since Ferguson, Missouri asked for help in the aftermath of the murder of Michael Brown. He joined the Municipal Voice, a co-production between the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and WNHH FM, to speak to what power local leaders have in providing the space for communities to have these conversations as a first step.
One of the ways to change this is through targeted universalism, whereby focusing in efforts on one area benefits everyone. Demonstrating this principle in the American Disabilities Act, there was the Curb Cut Effect. The design was made to be wheelchair accessible, but people with strollers or suitcases benefited as well.
he United States this summer has seen some of the largest mass protests in American history in response to the race-fueled murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. In Connecticut, residents hit the streets in small towns and large cities looking to their leaders to have these conversations and make long-needed changes in our society.
One of the most important things is to define the meanings important to the conversation. “I think the equity, equality piece is one that is so important to understand at the foundational level because people tend to use those words interchangeably,” Andrews said. “At the very high level, equality means giving everyone the same; equity means giving people what they need.” Andrews argues that not everyone needs the same thing. Drawing up the famous depiction of three people behind a fence watching a game, each with a disproportionate disadvantage, he says you have to “think differently about what they need to watch the game.” So for local leaders, when they begin to process racism, they can’t process it in the individual sense, there are “policies, practices, and procedures tha have actually benefited white people over people of color, sometimes intentionally or inadvertently.”
6 | CONNECTICUT TOWN & CITY | SPECIAL ISSUE 2021
“Whether we’re talking about housing, whether we’re talking about health, […] education, criminal justice, unemployment, rates, deaths from coronavirus; race is still the number one predictor [of success in this country],” Andrews said.
As local leaders recognize the need to have these conversations and begin having them, they must look to areas where they can “operationalize” what they’ve learned. Local leaders can analyze data, ask and understand who is benefiting from local policies, and being intentional about ending racial inequities where they see them. What that means is dependent on the town or city, because each is so different. Andrews argues that there’s no one city or town or village has figured this out, but “Ultimately, the measure if we know we’ve succeeded is how we close the gaps, where race is no longer predicting one’s success.” Andrews says that he has hope for the future, but he understands those that aren’t there. On any given day there can be challenges or rising tensions. “But what I like about this work that we do with city leaders it’s not just about talking about morally this is a good thing to do, racial equity is about good governance.”
