So, confession. I didn't know this was a thing until a couple hours ago. But finding out it was made me wonder how we can celebrate it. Preventing discrimination on a local level is key to achieving equality on a global one - so this is my totally unsolicited advice on how you can #makesomenoise for Zero Discrimination Day in just THREE easy steps (we should all be doing this every day, really. But let's think baby steps.)
1. Conduct some research
First of all, do some learning! I've linked some of the resources I found useful after finding out about Zero Discrimination Day, but obviously extend your research to whatever information you can find. You can't make a meaningful difference to your community without understanding the extent of the discrimination which marginalised groups face - so today, take some time to really process the facts. The two which UNAIDS stated in their press release blew me away:
"Discrimination has many forms, from racial or religious discrimination to discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation or age, and to bullying at school or at work. In only three out of 10 countries worldwide do equal numbers of girls and boys attend upper secondary school, and people living with disabilities are nearly three times more likely to be denied health care than other people."
Knowing what kind of obstacles people less privileged than us have to face on a day to day basis is the first step in being in a position to challenge inequality - especially because it's usually the privileged who have enough power to bring attention to it in the first place.
2. Improve your awareness of injustice
It's easy to overlook injustices when you're not affected by them. Are your spaces as equally accessible as you think they are? Start with your school, university or workplace - are there policies or guidelines in place that inherently discriminate against a certain group? Dress codes are one to look out for - are they universal to all religions, for example? Are menstrual products freely available at your institution, so as to ensure that menstruating individuals never have to miss out on their education? Is everybody in your circle treated the same way by people in authority? Are your buildings and services accessible to everybody, not just able-bodied persons? Look closely in the places you're most comfortable - that's where you're least likely to recognise discrimination when it occurs.
Even more intimately than this, what can you do within your family and friendship circles to chip away at inequality? Are there ever jokes made at the expense of a certain race, a certain gender identity, or a certain disability? Are they really as harmless as you think, or could they be perpetuating damaging stereotypes and contributing to the discrimination of those groups? Are there members of your inner circle that feel automatically excluded from some of the activities you do together, and is there a way you can change that?
3. Listen to and empower victims of discrimination
Part of why discrimination is so difficult to combat is because so often victims are warned not to stand up to themselves; because it isn't 'worth the fuss', or because it will 'do more harm than good'. So the next time your friend or family member tells you they feel they've been discriminated against in some way, take them seriously. Encourage them to speak up, and support them in doing so. Amplify their concerns. Validate their hurt. Make some noise for the people around you; it's the most direct way to turn your principles into action. Often, even if you don't get anywhere with your noise, just having that support will make victims feel more empowered the next time something similar happens - like I said, baby steps, right?
Action is crucial in times like these
With COVID-19 deepening societal ridges and widening gaps in access to education, healthcare, income, and really everything else, it's important that we don't take our privilege for granted and actively support the most vulnerable to the pandemic. I don't just mean volunteering or working on the front line - I mean donating your old electronics so that economically disadvantaged children don't suffer a lacking education, or helping out with the weekly shop for the family you know has suffered a job loss or even a death. Where can you make a small but significant difference to somebody's life today?
Seeing such a lack of action from those in the strongest positions to make sweeping change can be disheartening - but only until you remember that real change tends to happen from the ground up. So make some noise.
Cover photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash.
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