The Fabric of our Society

October 2022

Equity in Lighting

Elaine Cook
Moxie Lighting
Executive Director and Co-Founder, Equity in Lighting

A lot has changed over the past 2 years. March 2020 brought us fear; fear for our health, our jobs, our personal safety. We clung to the known and shied away from the untested. But in time, we got bored of the monotony of sleep to work to Netflix to sleep. We began to dig. Dig into ourselves. Finding passions for cooking or fitness or inventing Rube Goldberg machines. Dancing in TikToks and connecting from a distance with others sheltering and mourning, across the street and across the world, to distract us from the isolation and uncertainty.

Until from behind the videos of playful puppies came the videos of hate. Innocent people hurt and killed because they were Black and Asian. At first, there was shock. Shock that this could happen in today’s society. But this time, shock was not accepted. Shock is for something that happens for the first time, not the millionth. The cellphone camera raised a mirror and, at last, the media held it high. Some chose to look away, but most decided to learn and do. We questioned the foundations of our education and explored the other sides of our history. As we learned, we saw how systemic the issues were and how deeply we need to bore to move toward equity. And not just equity across races; but genders, neurodiversity, physical abilities, and other human identities and functionalities. 

Question Everything
There are some who question, How is this relevant to lighting? Let’s take a step back. Lighting is in almost every home and workplace in America, touching more than 332 million people. Yet, when you look through the techniques and standards of lighting, they were nearly all formulated for one group of people: neurotypical, white, fully abled humans; only 43% of the US population. Why is something so universally needed and used being designed only for a section of our population? 

As research progresses, we are learning that lighting significantly impacts those outside the white, neurotypical, and fully abled population. So why are we ignoring them? It goes back to the foundation of our education and the assumptions of “normal.” When everyone you see looks and functions the same way you do, you start to assume that this is how everyone in the world operates. And so, when we fill an industry with professionals who look and act the same, we design with those individuals in mind. To design for the other 57% of the population, the lighting industry needs to bring in individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. And we must listen and learn from them.
 
How Do We Achieve This?
We start with outreach. For kindergarten to high school students, Equity in Lighting plans to tailor our lighting workshops and presentations to their community; focusing on things they can see around them and developing an understanding of how light plays a part in their everyday lives. We also intend to support local Bridge Programs that help students from underrepresented populations prepare for and successfully complete their first year of university. And for college and university students, we’ll focus on preparing them for available jobs, developing internships, and providing mentorship opportunities.
 
Equity in Lighting also looks internally, within the lighting industry. Partnering with IESNYC, DLFNY, WILD, NACLIQ, and IALD, our goal is to develop programs examining lighting’s role in different aspects of diversity, like how lighting affects people with ADHD or lighting for different skin tones. In addition, we seek to develop leadership programs that foster a more inclusive workplace, and HR tools like how to apply for a Green Card. 

To do all of the above, we need partners. All organizations and firms wishing to be a part of Equity in Lighting’s journey need to donate both time and money, so that we may all learn and grow together. Any time spent with Equity in Lighting counts towards each firm’s hours, which even includes just showing up for an event. For those seeking more information, please email [email protected] or visit equityinlighting.org/join. Our task may seem impossible, but remember, it may take one person 50 minutes to light 50 candles, but with 50 people, it may only take a second.