We Don't All Have a Fair Shot at Wellbeing, But We Should

Racism, sexism, homophobia and other oppressions are baked into our systems and our country

These otherings create fast tracks to wellbeing for some and dramatically reduce access for others. We see examples of the impacts of this everywhere – to name just a few:

There is a massive racial wealth gap and gender wealth gap in the United States
Your zip code is one of the best determinants of how long you will live, far more than your genes or your health behaviors
Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly five times the rate of whites
Low-income communities feel the effects of climate change and heat waves more acutely than wealthier neighborhoods

The U.S. should be a country where everyone has a fair shot at opportunity, and to thrive

But let’s be real: that’s not the case. A lot of what we all think is helping may be making things worse. And cutting off people’s access to wellbeing is a core driver of inequity, deepening cycles of poverty, violence, trauma and oppression.

How do our systems lock in cycles of harm and deny everyone a fair shot? Watch this video to learn more:

What Full Frame Initiative (FFI) believes

Ending racism and advancing equity depend on increasing access to wellbeing. But because inequities are baked into our systems, it’s easier for some people to have access to wellbeing than others due to things like race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability status, or other marginalized identities.

These differences in access to wellbeing create differences in experiences and outcomes — and this continues to perpetuate systemic inequities.

Racism is a key part of what keeps inequity alive in America. But ending racism and other forms of oppression requires a broad and deep recognition that we all have a universal right to wellbeing, and we all deserve a fair shot at it, too.

To begin changing things we must start with the recognition that the system is rigged.

The solution isn’t just to create more programs for people harmed by these unfair systems. The solution is to reimagine these systems to make our country fairer and more equitable for everyone.
”

- Katya Fels Smyth, FFI's Founder & CEO

What would it look like if everyone had a fair shot at wellbeing?

The color of your skin, the zip code of your birth, the God you worship and other demographics wouldn’t be the reliable predictors of life outcomes and day-to-day safety that they are now.
Systems that have historically divided and contained — child welfare, criminal justice, even homelessness and domestic violence — would be far less needed. When needed, they would be on-ramps to wellbeing.
Kids wouldn’t be suspended from preschool. Kids wouldn’t grow up in group homes or cages or prisons. After all, parents in poverty love their kids just as much as parents in affluence.

And much, much more. Want to learn the first steps toward making these things happen? Try our Wellbeing Bootcamp for an introduction to how you can change systems with wellbeing at the center.

Explore the next core concept

We don’t all have a fair shot

Racism, sexism, homophobia and other oppressions are baked into our systems and our country

The U.S. should be a country where everyone has a fair shot at opportunity, and to thrive

What Full Frame Initiative (FFI) believes

To begin changing things we must start with the recognition that the system is rigged.

The solution isn’t just to create more programs for people harmed by these unfair systems. The solution is to reimagine these systems to make our country fairer and more equitable for everyone.
”

- Katya Fels Smyth, FFI's Founder & CEO

What would it look like if everyone had a fair shot at wellbeing?

All of us are hardwired for wellbeing.

We don’t all have a fair shot

Racism, sexism, homophobia and other oppressions are baked into our systems and our country

The U.S. should be a country where everyone has a fair shot at opportunity, and to thrive

What Full Frame Initiative (FFI) believes

To begin changing things we must start with the recognition that the system is rigged. The solution isn’t just to create more programs for people harmed by these unfair systems. The solution is to reimagine these systems to make our country fairer and more equitable for everyone.”

- Katya Fels Smyth, FFI's Founder & CEO

What would it look like if everyone had a fair shot at wellbeing?

All of us are hardwired for wellbeing.

To begin changing things we must start with the recognition that the system is rigged.

The solution isn’t just to create more programs for people harmed by these unfair systems. The solution is to reimagine these systems to make our country fairer and more equitable for everyone.
”