‘Equity isn’t a Bad Word’
Sara Kelley (she/her), UUCSV Director of Religious Growth and Learning First written for the Sunbury Daily Item April 2026
The word “Equity” has been in the news in the past few years as some people try to erase it from public vocabulary. What is missing from the broad-brush dismissal is what the word really means in a non-policy sense. In the year of the last presidential election when “Equity” was starting to be smeared, Unitarian Universalists added it as a central Shared Value to our bylaws. The statement reads “Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love and compassion.“
I have written before about inherent worthiness, and how divinity is present in each of us. If we begin with that premise, we see people and other living beings in a whole new light. In order to support and sustain the concept of divinity in all of us, wouldn’t we want people to flourish to the greatest of their abilities?
I recently had a month of study leave that I used to look at neurodivergence and how learning more might affect both how we do church and also how we live every day in our community. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, neurodivergence refers to a normal brain variation from the “typical”, or what is socially defined as typical. I was amazed to find out how many different ways people’s brains work. They are, medically speaking, normal differences even if society doesn’t always treat them as normal.
The more I learned about neurodivergent people and how they function in society the more I realized that I was seeing the idea of Equity in practice. Students who have reading or math difficulties get additional instruction from specialists that other students don’t need. Some students have accommodations like extra testing time or quiet spaces in order to learn better, even if peers don’t have those needs. That’s equity.
There is a difference between equality and equity. Do an online search for “equality/equity cartoon” and you’ll get several different versions of a very useful visual explanation. Equality is when people are treated the same. Equity takes the concept further to make sure people get what they need to have the same or similar outcomes. That might mean that one person gets something different, or less or more, than another. It is not unfair to treat people that way – it really puts us all on a level playing field.
Another graphic I find really useful uses plants. In one image each of the three potted plants gets the same amount of water. Anyone with houseplants has a idea of what the result is. The end result is that while the small green plant is healthy, the cactus is brown and dying, and the orchid is droopy with only one blossom. That is Equality – each plant gets the same thing. What happens with Equity? With equity, each plant gets what they need to flourish – one drop for the cactus, two for the green plant, and three for the
orchid. The end result is three very healthy and happy plants. The cactus likely does not begrudge the orchid the extra water.
How does the concept translate to us and to how we treat and help our neighbors? One example could be with food availability and security. Food stamps and food pantries provide not just additional food but often the only food to families at the lowest earning levels. Would giving that same amount of food to someone at a higher income be equal? Yes, but not equitable – they do not need additional food because they very likely have enough and do not suffer from food insecurity. Making sure everyone in a community can eat enough, eat healthily, and not worry where their next meal comes from is a goal we should all be able to support. That is Equity – making sure people have what they each need to get to the same result.
One religious teaching common to all the faiths I know asks us to take care of our neighbors. If we truly want to care and support them, we will help them flourish in the ways that each person needs. We will work for Equity in our world.
