Angelina Pillai on Equity

Ostensibly, I believed I enjoyed equal opportunities in education, social networks, personal growth and professional development. However, over time I realised this was not true.

Growing up in my home country, even while studying at one of the nation’s finest schools, I soon realised I didn’t have the same rights as many of my peers. While gender wasn’t an issue (in an all-girls school), other defining differences like race and religion subjected me to discriminatory quotas and grading criteria. This inequity pervaded into my early career, and it wasn’t until my thirties did I begin to acknowledge the significance of the injustice I faced, because of who I was.

I then made a conscious decision to systematically regain my power and prove my worth. I commanded my heritage, upbringing, education, gender and capability to transcend the prejudice to give me agency, pride, confidence and the right to equity. For others, compromise for inclusion’s sake was the only choice.

For me, equity is the ethical option.

* Copies of Equity can be purchased through the The Fulcrum Press with all proceeds going towards projects in First Nations communities.