Franca Sala Tenna on Equity

Franca Sala Tenna describes herself as a ‘non-lawyer’s lawyer’. She is a director at Equal Opportunity Specialists and perfectly placed to offer this passage on Equity:⁠
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‘Equity is different from equality. Equality’s challenge is to treat all people equally – this is already hard to achieve, as the biases of my upbringing prevent me from see everyone the same, and therefore sometimes, treat people less favourably than others. ⁠
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The work I do in training for workplace behaviours, like discrimination, fits here. But equity goes a lot further than equality. Equity says, ‘I need to treat people differently because of who they are and their history of prejudice and disadvantage’. I’ve realised over the years there are different ways of living out equity. For some people, it is becoming one of ‘them’ – living with them and walking in their struggles. For others, it is advocating for the rights of minority groups – being a voice where they have none. ⁠
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But for me it is giving money. I’ve realised that my gift in the space of equity is that I am good at making money and unattached to it staying with me. I am passionate about making a difference in the lives of women and children, in the space of health, education and personal safety and so this second half of life, for me, is to give away as much money as possible to these areas. Equity is a verb; to rebalance.’⁠
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Copies of Equity can be purchased at TheFulcrum.Press, with all revenue going towards project in First Nations communities.