Imagine walking into an arena, and the usher glances at your tickets and motions you to your seats. You spot your seats, and the venue is bursting with a wide variety of energy as we all await the main event.
Several lackluster bouts on the undercard, but the audience came for the headliner. The announcer calls out various demographic features of the challenger over the loudspeaker: height, weight, hometown, and nickname. In the opposite corner is the reigning champion. The crowd is silent. This champion has been undefeated since entering the ring.
In this story, the opponent is Educational Equity. For decades in American education, achieving and fighting for Educational Equity has been a journey marred by manufactured barriers, fear, and prejudice. The conversations, debates, and recent Supreme Court rulings have allowed tangible Equity to slip through the fingers of those desperately needing level ground.
The reigning champion has many forms, which makes them a formable foe. The champion’s key strength is its ability to maintain the status quo and sometimes force backward progress.
As the underdog, Equity, and the deceitful champion approach the center of the ring, the crowd erupts in a mix of boos, cheers, and gasps. The judges were dressed in long scarlet robes with scowls on their faces. The cornerman for each fighter is in the boxer’s respective corner of the ring. Their purpose is to guide their soldier and see what is unseen to hopefully minster strategy and tactics, which will be breadcrumbs leading to victory. The referee sends the fighters to their corner, and without hesitation, the bell rings.
Who might this red-eyed, menacing, three-headed, seemingly undefeated champion be that is staring down Equity?
Each head of this monster represents ignorance, bias, and fear.
You are possibly asking yourself, how is this foe a champion? What made the previous opponents weaken under the power and prowess of the champion?
The answer can be found in our society’s construction and persistent inequities. The champion was gifted many advantages and a head start over the previous onlookers. The champion is made to feel invincible, with power amassed from an unending supply of friends, confidants, aids, privilege, legacy, and a wealth of resources eager to help seize victory at any cost. The towering goliath disregards the value of diversity and inclusion and preys on the bias living within humanity to fuel overt bigotry and prejudice. This type of power and influence only cements disproportionate outcomes.
As Equity approaches the middle of the ring to meet the coercive champion, Equity must be resilient, and maintaining a high level of discernment can provide an upper hand in this boxing match.
The bell rings, and the fight begins, with each fighter taking jabs at the other. The behemoth of a champion throws heavy-handed punches of court rulings and legislation that only magnifies their impact. Equity is agile and side-steps with rapid counter-punches of their own…left-jab and right-hook.
Who will prevail? Will Equity triumph and usher in a new era of justice and equality, or will the boogeyman of a champion remain victorious, leaving many behind?
As we look at the malee of punches thrown by both fighters, one can only hope for a result that will go the distance for humanity or a quick ten count leaving injustice on the mat.
Dr. Darryl S. Diggs, Jr.
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