Chicken Nuggets and Equitable Lighting

Equity is an increasingly important topic in lighting circles. (Shout out to Elaine Cook on the Lytei podcast!) The term equity can make people uncomfortable, mainly because it's been so politicized in economic terms. It sounds too much like socialism for many people's liking.

For me, Equity in lighting is really about expanding our cultural mindset. We have absorbed where the "good" lighting needs to be and where less good lighting is sufficient. I was reminded of this on a recent trip to the mall with my daughters. We stopped to pick up chicken nuggets for a midday snack, and while we were waiting for them, I peered into the back of the restaurant and saw the cold dingy colorless lighting the cook staff was forced to work within likely for 8-10 hours per day.

This is as much of an equity conversation as any other. Simply because these workers don't have a say in what kind of light they work in doesn't mean we, as lighting professionals, should allow this to be where the deepest VE cuts are made.

Edward Bartholomew, please forgive my paraphrase, but I believe you've written... "people deserve good light and beneficial darkness."

It's time to step up and notice all the places where we allow people to wallow in bad lighting and work to fix it.