Alphabet of discrimination: Letter D–Disparity and drug addiction

 

One day, a member of our community asked a member of Equity Buckfield “What’s happening in our country right now that’s so bad? Give me one example.” Our member thought to themself, “I could probably think of something for every letter of the alphabet.” And so they did.

Disparity 

What does this word even mean?

From Cambridge:

disparity (n): a lack of equality or similarity, especially in a way that is not fair

When we talk about social justice and equity issues, we are usually discussing the disparities between how people from different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious and other groups are treated in society. Things like access to jobs and schools, treatment by police, voting rights, medical treatment, and access to loans and mortgages can vary widely between racial and other groups. This 2019 Pew survey points out striking differences:

Source: Pew Research Center

Drug addiction

We touched on drug addiction and the LGBTQIA+ community a bit in our letter A post, but the numbers are so significant that it's worth another look:

Source: American Addiction Centers

Quite a disparity, right?