For Equity: A Design Client
By Drego Little
In nearly every institution of any importance right now, people say the word “equity”, in meetings, job postings, and official communications with the public. It is noticeable that people are not very specific when they use the word. People use it as though it speaks for and defines itself. It seems to have become like a horoscope, meaningful to everyone who uses it, just in different ways.
Perhaps it may be helpful to develop a picture of who we want to help if we cannot agree on what equity is or should be.
The Client: Jasmine is a single mom who lives south of Seattle on the east side of I-5, her son is ten years old. She does not have a car.
1. She has just been told that her son has to “level up” his reading because his most recent assessment puts him a little over a year behind. Since he arrives home before her on the after-school bus, finding help during the week would be a tremendous stretch because she often gets home at 7. This leaves the weekends to find a quality literacy program that does not cost money.
2. She thinks about the summer coming up and is concerned about her son’s options. The summer camp he attended last year had nice people, but she would not ask them about helping with reading since they were very focused on fun, and not necessarily developing skills. She is also concerned about how some of the boys were allowed to behave. She will not complain because this place may be her only option, again.
3. Jasmine’s boss Susan compliments her about her work ethic and attention to detail. Susan has said several times that Jasmine should have a better paying position, but that because Jasmine has no degree, she cannot justify a promotion. Jasmine would love to go to college, but even the two-year programs require a significant time commitment, let alone the four-year ones. She knows she could get financial aid for tuition, but rent is her biggest concern.
4. The health of Jasmine’s extended family is on her mind more than usual now. Her mother, uncle and older sister have all been diagnosed with Type II diabetes in the last couple years. She read a few articles online about diabetes and was shocked to learn that it affects every organ in a person’s body and that many diabetics die from “cardiovascular incidents” not amputations or infections like she thought. While at a checkup for her son she shared her concerns about diabetes with the doctor and was told “it was hard to outrun genetics” and to “just eat better food”. Her entire family is eating the same foods they have been eating since before they got sick. So she doesn’t really understand the doctor’s comments but won’t ask more questions because they make her feel like she should know something she doesn’t.
5. Very often, Jasmine thinks about time. She can help her son with homework, but not read more with or to him by bedtime. She can get off the bus to buy groceries near where she lives, but not take the longer ride into town for “better food”, she might not be able to buy. She can ask the doctor more questions or wait and see if she ends up like her mom and sister. The opportunities more education might provide her would involve time spent every night and more on the weekends, which would mean less time with her son. More and more, Jasmine feels judged by everything, including time. She does not know what she did wrong.
After Questions: What does Jasmine need? What should equity for Jasmine look like, specifically?
Drego Little teaches 5th grade through college in Seattle.
