Equality Isn’t Enough:
America Needs Equity to Truly Level the Playing Field

New York, N.Y. — The image of three people watching a baseball game from behind a fence — each standing on a different number of boxes — explains the difference between “equality” and “equity” better than any words.

It’s simple: equality gives everyone the same box, but equity gives each person what they need to see over the fence. The adult may need no box, the teenager one, and the toddler two.

In America, we pride ourselves on the belief that everyone should have equal opportunities.

The phrase “all men are created equal” echoes through our national conscience. But the reality is far from equal.

If two people start a race — one with a head start and one weighed down by centuries of systemic barriers — equal treatment doesn’t create a fair competition.

Equity addresses those barriers, ensuring everyone has what they need to succeed.

It’s time for America to confront this truth head-on, especially when it comes to institutional or structural racism and the generational poverty it fuels.

Consider this: about 22 million households rely on SNAP benefits — what used to be called food stamps — to put meals on the table. Meanwhile, roughly 24 million American households have more than a million dollars in assets.

This is not a coincidence.

Wealth begets wealth. Families who have assets — homes, investments, savings — pass those down to their children. This is called “generational wealth.”

Families denied those opportunities through redlining, discriminatory hiring, and unequal education systems pass down nothing but struggle.

The racial wealth gap is staggering.

According to the Federal Reserve, the median white family holds ten times the wealth of the median Black family.

This is the cumulative result of centuries of enslavement, segregation, and systemic exclusion from economic opportunities — from the Homestead Act to the GI Bill.

So, what do we do about it?

First, we need to stop pretending that equality alone will fix things. We must embrace equity — crafting policies that account for historical injustice and present-day disparities.

That includes targeted investments in education, healthcare, and housing in underserved communities. It also means rethinking taxation and social safety nets to redistribute wealth more fairly.

But equity isn’t just about government policy — it’s about moral responsibility. America owes a debt to those it has systematically disadvantaged. That’s why the conversation must include reparations.

Critics dismiss the idea as radical or impractical, but reparations are about restoring stolen opportunities — from land to labor to the right to build wealth.

Germany paid reparations to Holocaust survivors.

The U.S. compensated Japanese Americans interned during World War II. Why should the descendants of enslaved African Americans — who built this nation’s economy without compensation — be denied the same recognition and restitution?

Equity means acknowledging that some communities need two boxes, not one, to see over the fence.

It means recognizing that generational wealth has been reserved for a privileged few while others have been deliberately left behind. And it means finally having the courage to do something about it.

As a society, we must ask ourselves: Do we want to be a nation that offers everyone the same box — knowing that many will still be left behind — or a nation that ensures everyone gets what they need to thrive?

The answer should be obvious. It’s time for America to embrace equity, tackle systemic racism, and consider reparations — not as an act of charity, but as a long-overdue step toward justice.

It’s time to level the playing field for all.

In America Now, More Millionaires than People on ‘Food Stamps’ (March 17, 2025)

Note: Jim Luce is the president of Luce Family Charities which includes the
J. Luce Foundation, Orphans International, and The Stewardship Report.

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Tags: Jim Luce, J. Luce Foundation, Orphans International, The Stewardship Report, social justice, equity vs equality, wealth inequality, SNAP benefits, reparations, progressive leadership