Dissent: A Voice for Change
The necessary – but understated – tool for fighting injustice and inequity.
By Jillian Hayden
Inequity is everywhere. What does not get enough critical attention is the role of dissent in our democracies. In pursuit of policy reform aimed at advancing equality, dissent emerges as a vital and necessary element for every policymaker or activist.
This idea is far from new. Thurgood Marshall — a trailblazing jurist and the first African-American Supreme Court Justice — spoke eloquently of the role of dissent in 1992, and his words continue to resonate with urgency today:
"I wish I could say that racism and prejudice were only distant memories. We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust…We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better." - Thurgood Marshall
Dissent, Marshall argued, is not simply an act of rebellion, but an act of love for one's country. It stems from the idea that the United States (U.S.) can and must do better for the well-being of future generations. It acknowledges that ideals of justice, liberty, and equality remain aspirational goals that have not been fully realized. Some recent examples of organized dissent include “National School Walkout” against gun violence, “Defund the Police” movement, and the Women’s March. It is evident that when looking at the current state of the country, racism and prejudice are still widespread.
Simply put, dissent is a stance taken against an established consensus, whether in politics, religion, science, medicine, ideology, bureaucracy, law, group norms, or other spheres of authority. It involves explicit disagreement, exertion of counteracting influence, refusal to comply with orders, or visible nonconformity. Dissent can also be seen in individuals, like Dr. Christine Blasey Ford who had risked her personal security to out previous Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as a sexual predator. Or Dr. Toni Savage who reported millions of dollars of contract fraud openly occurring at the Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville Command.
Prominent inequalities have persisted systematically in education, healthcare, and criminal justice. By not addressing these inequalities, injustice persists and mistrust grows between marginalized communities and law enforcement. To lead the way out of inequity, advocacy groups, policymakers, and concerned citizens should remember the importance and usefulness of dissent as a policy reform tool across issue areas. To begin with, it is no secret that implicit bias and stereotyping perpetuate systemic injustices that lead to unequal opportunities in education. Research has revealed that schools with predominantly Black student populations are less inclined to provide advanced courses and Gifted and Talented (GATE) programs compared to schools primarily serving predominantly white students. In addition, Black students are less likely than their white peers to be enrolled in those courses and programs in schools that have those offerings.
This significantly hinders Black students’ access to postgraduate opportunities. To address educational inequities, affirmative action was introduced, which involved recruiting high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds who may have not been noticed otherwise. However, in June 2023, the Supreme Court made affirmative action illegal, enlarging the inequality gap.
Dissent can play an essential role in addressing educational inequalities. This can look like pushing for the implementation of policies that address racial disparities across areas such as the curriculum, discipline, hiring practices of teachers and school resource allocation. Additionally, equal opportunity cannot be realized until advanced courses and GATE programs are offered at every school and accessible to all students. The unequal support in educational resources further perpetuates racial bias in all levels of education.
Similar to the racial disparities in the education system, inequalities in healthcare are only growing. Black Americans and other members from racialized, disabled, queer, and trans communities have significantly lower levels of access to medical care in the United States. This is due to higher rates of unemployment and under representation in good-paying jobs that include health insurance as part of the benefit package. Additionally, health researchers found that Black Americans experienced more than 1.63 million preventable deaths and more than 80 million excess years of life lost compared to the white population from 1999 to 2020. Recent statistics also show disproportionately high death rates for Black Americans relating to COVID-19 and maternal mortality. Dissent can also help lead to equity in healthcare provision. Dissent can come in the form of advocating for policies, such as expanding healthcare coverage, increasing funding for underserved communities and improving access to preventative care. It is also critical to advocate for training of healthcare workers to combat racial bias. Advocating for healthcare providers to undergo cultural competency training to better understand and serve diverse patient populations is an important step towards reaching systemic change and improving the quality of care for all patients.
Like in education and health policy, the criminal justice system also fails to enable equitable outcomes in the United States. Systemic racism against Black Americans pervades America’s police forces and criminal justice system. On September 28th, 2023, the United Nations (UN) Expert Mechanism called on the U.S. to reform its criminal justice system urgently. According to the UN's report, racism persists in the form of racial profiling, police killings, and numerous other human rights violations. Racism, stemming from the enslavement of Black people and a system of de facto apartheid, continues to be perpetuated systematically – and as such, it should be addressed systematically. To eliminate inequality, racism, and prejudice in the system, there must be heavy policy reform to dismantle systematic barriers. To achieve policy change, dissent can again take the form of policy advocacy at all levels of government, including support for legislation that addresses racial disparities in policing, sentencing and overall treatment within the justice system.
America's promise of equality for all is unfulfilled until opportunities are accessible to all. The growing inequalities in education, healthcare, and the criminal justice system only amplify the importance of dissent to combat systemic inequity. Dissent is not only confined to judges or politicians; the public too can lead dissent against inequity. For those carving a path towards equality, the role of dissent should certainly not be forgotten – because it can be the first step to achieving the policy reform necessary to challenge and eradicate inequity.
Jillian is a current student at Max Bell who previously completed an Advanced Major in Finance and a Minor in Economics at St. Francis Xavier University. Passionate about economic inclusion, she has worked in the areas of affordable finance structures, asset allocation, and education accessibility. This year, she looks forward to obtaining the critical knowledge and skills from the MPP program to make meaningful contributions nationally and globally.
