What Does It Mean to Create Equity?

Creating equity means ensuring that everyone - regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or background - has access to the same opportunities, resources, and rights. It's about leveling the playing field so that all individuals have what they specifically need to thrive.

Equity is different from equality. While equality means giving everyone the same thing, equity means recognizing that people face different challenges and barriers and responding by providing tailored support to meet those unique needs.

Why does equity matter?

Equity matters because everyone starts from a different place. Historical and systemic discrimination - whether based on race, disability, gender identity, or other identities - has created deep inequities in society. Some people benefit from unearned advantages, while others face systemic barriers that affect their education, health, economic stability, and overall quality of life.

Without equity, these injustices persist and deepen. By actively working to create equity, we address these disparities, support historically marginalized groups, and move closer to a society where everyone has a fair and meaningful chance to succeed - whether they are Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, disabled, or from any underrepresented background.

Where do we need to focus equity efforts?

There are many areas of life where equity remains an urgent issue. To be truly inclusive, efforts must address the intersecting identities and experiences of people who face multiple forms of marginalization.

Transportation

Equity in transportation means ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable, and reliable ways to get where they need to go. Historically, marginalized communities have faced underinvestment, discriminatory planning, and physical barriers that limit mobility and access to jobs, healthcare, and education.

Creating transportation equity involves redesigning systems that prioritize community needs such as accessible infrastructure for people with disabilities, transit routes that serve low-income neighborhoods, affordable fares, and inclusive planning processes that amplify underrepresented voices.

Education

Students of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and students with disabilities often encounter unequal access to quality education, inclusive curriculum, and supportive environments. Equity in education means funding schools equitably, providing mental health and special education resources, implementing anti-bias training for educators, and creating safe, affirming spaces for all identities.

Healthcare

Healthcare inequities disproportionately impact BIPOC communities, disabled individuals, and LGBTQ+ people - particularly transgender individuals. Equity in healthcare means accessible facilities, culturally competent providers, affordable services, and policies that address specific community health needs.

Economic Opportunity

Barriers to good jobs and fair pay often affect disabled individuals, LGBTQ+ workers (especially transgender people), and people of color. Economic equity includes enforcing anti-discrimination laws, supporting inclusive hiring practices, increasing access to job training, and removing physical and systemic barriers to employment.

Housing

Discrimination in housing affects many groups, BIPOC, disabled individuals, and LGBTQ+ people alike. Equity in housing means enforcing fair housing laws, increasing affordable and accessible housing, and ending policies that lead to segregation or displacement.

Criminal Justice

Racial profiling, over-policing, and unjust sentencing disproportionately harm Black and Brown people, while disabled and LGBTQ+ individuals often face violence, neglect, or lack of accommodations within the system. Equity in justice means reforming policing, ensuring fair representation, and protecting vulnerable populations in custody.

How do we create equity?

Policy Change

Laws and policies must address the root causes of inequity - whether it's anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, ableist public infrastructure, or racial disparities in public services. Policy should be inclusive, intersectional, and informed by the voices of affected communities.

Community Engagement

Communities must be at the center of equity efforts. Listening to and empowering those who have historically been excluded, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled people. It is a crucial step to creating solutions that reflect real needs.

Education and Awareness

Raising awareness about how racism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia show up in everyday life helps combat bias. Inclusive education fosters empathy, encourages allyship, and helps build a society that recognizes and respects differences.

Resource Redistribution

Equity means directing resources to where they are most needed. This may include investing in accessible public transportation, funding mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth, or supporting disabled entrepreneurs. Equity isn't charity, it’s liberation.

Our shared responsibility

Creating equity isn't just the job of governments or nonprofits - it is on all of us. Whether you're advocating for inclusive policies, volunteering, donating to equity-focused causes, or challenging bias in your own life, your actions matter.

It’s also essential to examine our own privileges - whether they stem from race, ability, gender, or other factors - and use that awareness to uplift others. By amplifying marginalized voices and standing in solidarity with those who face injustice, we can each help build a more equitable world for everyone.

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