August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr delivered the speech that turned thousands of heads, challenged thousands of years and ignited thousands of hearts. “The unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” were what he battled, spoke and stood his ground for. The immense inequality that stared the world in the face, the “chains of discrimination” that inhibited some from truly living life in all its fullness. King’s voice rang that day as loud as the freedom he was encouraging. He empowered, he reminded every ear listening of the beautiful potential for equality, of the crippling inequality but the power that there was still in the fight to turn “the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.”.

The basic and humane right to having a voice is far from a privilege yet for so many is just out of reach. What IS this thing called equality? It is not a physical commodity, an object or a face. It is not something you can touch, see or hear. It is an idea; an idea that sparks the hope that we are capable of success, that we will be afforded every opportunity and be seen with truth. Nevertheless, simply comprehending “equality” is difficult.

The question “What IS this thing called equality” is telling in itself of the answer. We ask this question with genuine curiosity because we simply do not know the answer. We know that equality is the only thing that can truly afford us freedom but never have we experienced “justice roll like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” It is impossible for all to be born under the same circumstances, we cannot all arrive with the same affluence, the same physical environment, the same brain, body and character. Because of this, we can never have the equality that is derived from sameness. However, in spite of and because of these differences, the equality that has been fought for is the equality that is deserved by all. The kind that means, as Emma Watson expressed, “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong.” The kind of equality that affords all the equivalent rights of humanity and happiness. The rights of pride, fulfillment and every kind of success.

In theory, King’s dream is idyllic, a land in which the repercussions of preconceived judgements would have as little effect as they have truth would be an honest world. But thus far, this dream is still a dream, this world is still one we hope for but do not know of. Because of our history and the way we are influenced so heavily by the expectations of the past and the norms of the present- whether they are equitable or not- equality is still not a reality. Our past has been broken by long-standing prejudices and our future marked, but not set. The repercussions of this breaking means that women were afforded the vote in New Zealand just 136 short years ago. It means that they still live fighting everyday for their own validity. It means that people with dark skin are still undermined, stereotypically trapped in the whirl-pool of the poverty cycle. Facing the threat of police brutality and racial profiling, still they are subjected to living an unjust reality in every facet of their lives. Because of our inexplicable trust in historical biases, the kind of inequality that strips one of the rights that they should have been born with is as evident as ever.

Being a woman, one who has seen just sixteen years, I know already of an inequality that hangs in the air like a mist. I know that sometimes, it pours with rain; thick drops of prejudice hammer down and no umbrella can protect you. “And I hope she’ll be a fool. Thats the best thing a girl can be in this world. A beautiful little fool.” Is it truly? Sometimes, my rain soaked head is tempted to nod in agreement. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s golden girl of The Great Gatsby expresses her longing for her daughter to be a “beautiful little fool” rather than to face the full storm of inequality and injustice in the world. The notion is shocking that because the adversity a girl will face as she becomes a woman is so trialling, it would be better to remove herself all together from the truth of the worlds variety – the bad, the good and everything in between. However in truth, it could be easier. In the heat of the exhaustion, it would be easier. But we continue. In our hope for equality, we carry on fighting when everyday the world tells us that it-is-no-use. Because we are strong enough not to let every shred of grotesque evidence convince us that our reasons will be ignored and our reason extinguished.

The equality we have fought for bears the potential for women to act in the way men freely act without being reacted to differently because of their gender. This inequality is not about whether men or women are truly more powerful. It is about perception, our reactions to and understanding of each other. There is no question as to how powerful men and women are or are not. Inequality in this context is the result of preconceived ideas about the limits to what someone can do or be and the worlds perception of them in response. Whether “doing” is winning, losing, speaking, silence or simply living. Equality means anyone can and their name won’t be warped by “broken and time-honored codes” and senseless archetypes. As quoted by G.D Anderson, “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” If we change the way the world perceives anyone or anything with prejudice, we can begin to experience some kind of equality.

In 1893, when Kate Sheppard lead New Zealand’s suffrage campaigners to gaining the vote; in 1863 when the emancipation proclamation announced the freedom of all enslaved Africans in America; in 2008 when Barak Obama became the first African American president of the United States, on August 28th, 1963 when Martin Luther King gave his unutterably influential speech, monumental steps were taken. But, it is every moment in between that lead up to these eventualities, every moment in which, in the face of inequality, people continued to stand in solidarity. The most vital action in striving for equality is perseverance. We may know these deep inequalities but as Martin Luther King reminded his audience, we have the power to continue fighting for the equality that we hope everyday for, whether it is conscious or not. No matter how hard the rain is pouring down, no matter how distant victory seems. We owe it to the people who stood before us. With the continuity of our strength, society in its entirety will grow with a more balanced sense of togetherness, amplifying our potential as a whole and for individuals. Humanity’s great fight is for the entirety of the freedom that comes hand-in-and with equality. “Their destiny is tied up with our destiny…Their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.” no one is free unless everybody is free. As declared by King, “Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy…” Now is the time to persevere. Now is the time to open our eyes to the reality of the equality we can all experience. The unalienable rights to which every human is deserving of and entitled to.

The “jangling discords” that Martin Luther King Jr spoke of may have become somewhat of a melodic tune but they are far from the “beautiful symphony of brotherhood”. Even with the intensity of the inequality we have experienced as a race of all people, persistence is the key to living in a world where finally, we know what this thing called equality is. We must keep fighting in our hope with the momentum of those who have fought before us, otherwise, the tireless battles won and lost will have been in vain. We have no choice but to persevere because each victorious moment is a baby step in our long journey to a kinder world. Never will we be at a flush, an even balance because we are marked by our history, but, our history does not set our future, it inspires it. With the strength of our dreams, our longing for their reality and with voices that we have gained so far, we can continue. We can share the future, a future where some form of equality is a reality, a daily norm, a known and felt freedom. Because we know what this thing called inequality is. Now, we need to know equality.