I’m not a golfer, but I learned this recently; there’s a thing called a “golf handicap”, which, according to every website I found about golf, “is a numerical measure of a golfer’s potential that is used to enable players of varying abilities to compete against one another. Better players are those with the lowest handicaps.” I’ll get back to that in a minute.
I have told the story of the couple who, soon after I came to Calvary, left because they felt I was talking too much about the need for our congregation (all congregations, really) to be more diverse and inclusive. I didn’t use the word “equity” because, to be honest, it never occurred to me that I had to include it. I was taken aback by their response; it turns out that there were others who found this line of thinking problematic. Why, they asked, do we have to be different than we have been? Or, as one very kind and loving member said, “What we really need is more people like us.” By which she meant white folks with enough money to support our church. Seriously – that was the answer I got when I probed a little deeper into the statement.
I have found that a lot of people with advantages are afraid of DEI. There are lots of reasons for this, I suppose; they fear losing what they have, or competition for their children and grandchildren, or any number of other reasons that seem based in fear and racism and bias and lack of understanding. As I have written before, if it wasn’t for equity, I never could have attended college. And it isn’t that every person should be given a free ride to attend higher education; we need to help people achieve their goals no matter what direction they choose. I think we should provide 2 years of free community college for those who need it and 2-years of vocational training for those who are called to those crafts. To limit someone’s ability to contribute to society and the greater good just because they don’t have money is not only shortsighted; it’s also foolish and detrimental to America.
Diversity is God’s plan for creation; equity is our way of helping those who have been disadvantaged by unfair systems; inclusion is just being a human. And yes, there are lots of instances of DEI gone wild, and we should always safeguard against abuses of systems meant to be safety nets, not hammocks. To oppose something just because it doesn’t help you and yours is ignorant and dangerous. Just because someone hasn’t had the same breaks I have had doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get some help.
Just like in golf, measuring someone’s potential and giving them a chance to compete seems fair. If the hoity-toity world of golf understands this, why can’t the rest of us?
Prayer – God of every kind of person, You have created us as equals, but that doesn’t mean we are all the same. We all have things we do well and things we don’t, and when the cards are stacked against us by others, You call us to work towards evening the playing field. Help us to play nicely with each other. Amen.
Today’s art is an illustration by Yulong Lli.