Project C on the month of October: Fairness and Equality
Hoover High School
Yilan Liu
I interviewed twenty-three students at Hoover High School for their definition of fairness
and equality and how fairness and equality look like at Hoover High School. I also asked them to
compare the equality and fairness they see today to times before the civil rights movement and
how the society today reflect or relate to the civil rights movement. The answers given from the
poll can be categorized into two perspectives. Although the definition of fairness and equality
were similar among the students, 70% of the interviewed students saw fairness and equality at
Hoover High School while the others did not. The varying answers from students revealed the
diversity and how everyone’s perception of fairness depended on their own perspective and
expectation of equality.
Part of students defined equality as having equal opportunity for everyone. These
students saw fairness as treating different people similarly, no discrimination based on religion or
skin color. A student who is culturally different even stated: “People treat me normally, no
bullying.” Two students appreciate the freedom to select classes and express ideas. One girl
mentioned how she had the freedom to wear clothes she wanted within the dress code.
Furthermore, thanks to the success of the civil rights movement, Hoover High School became a
environment filled with diversity, where the African Americans and white can learn together. In
general, these students saw fairness and equality at Hoover High School.
The other part of the interviewed students gave opposing answers. One answered: “No
offense, but I don’t see equality and fairness at school; Fairness is when you get what you
deserve. It’s when everyone has the same statues, and no one is treated differently.” Another one
gave many examples of unfairness: “The football players receive more privileges and attentions
than other students. There are students who act arrogantly because of popularity or intelligence,
degrading other students. In addition, there are teachers who pick favorites.” These students
concluded that even though the civil rights fought against it and won, the racism and inequality
still exists today.
After taking the poll, I started to question how there could be such a contrasting answers
to the same question pertaining to the same environment, and came to the conclusion that the
variety of answers are due to everyone’s different perspectives and expectations. We all have
different perspectives, especially on fairness and equality. We all have different standards of
expectations and how we want to be treated by others; therefore, when our expectation is defied,
we come to the conclusion that something is not fair or equal. None of the perspectives are
wrong. The perspectives are aspects of our community, but we cannot generalize it for everyone.
Humans cannot stop from being biased. One thing that humans can do is try to make others feel
included and well treated. People can try to prevent bullying and provide the opportunity to
belong and succeed for students. Guaranteeing absolute fairness for every student might be
impossible, but the community can offer everyone the opportunity to pursue happiness.