Multiple initiatives have tried to make various kinds of social recommendations by issuingcredentials. However, up to this point they have worked better in closed social networks rather thanas open credentials due to the ability of social networks to tie a recommendation with the profile(and identity) of the recommender. There are also several nascent initiatives to create open linkeddata around which skills, credentials and issuers are valued by employers.

I created a social justice metaphor library to help explain concepts like why you can't just create a "level playing field" without acknowledging the economic impacts of history (see, even saying it like that is complicated).

Respect, Trust, and Equity

By focusing on the condition of the looking glass, Joyce suggests the artist does not start his work with a clean slate. Rather there is considerable baggage he or she must overcome. This baggage might include colonial conditions or biased assumptions. Form and context influence content.

Privilege

There is created in the State treasury a special fund, which shall be held separate and apart from all other State moneys, to be known as the Cannabis Business Development Fund. The Cannabis Business Development Fund shall be exclusively used for the following purposes:        (1) to provide low-interest rate loans to Qualified      Social Equity Applicants to pay for ordinary and necessary expenses to start and operate a cannabis business establishment permitted by this Act;        (2) to provide grants to Qualified Social Equity     Applicants to pay for ordinary and necessary expenses to start and operate a cannabis business establishment permitted by this Act;        (3) to compensate the Department of Commerce and     Economic Opportunity for any costs related to the provision of low-interest loans and grants to Qualified Social Equity Applicants;         (4) to pay for outreach that may be provided or     targeted to attract and support Social Equity Applicants and Qualified Social Equity Applicants;        (5) (blank);         (6) to conduct any study or research concerning the     participation of minorities, women, veterans, or people with disabilities in the cannabis industry, including, without limitation, barriers to such individuals entering the industry as equity owners of cannabis business establishments;        (7) (blank); and        (8) to assist with job training and technical     assistance for residents in Disproportionately Impacted Areas.

"Social Equity Applicant" means an applicant that is an Illinois resident that meets one of the following criteria:        (1) an applicant with at least 51% ownership and     control by one or more individuals who have resided for at least 5 of the preceding 10 years in a Disproportionately Impacted Area;         (2) an applicant with at least 51% ownership and     control by one or more individuals who:             (i) have been arrested for, convicted of, or         adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this Act; or             (ii) is a member of an impacted family;        (3) for applicants with a minimum of 10 full-time     employees, an applicant with at least 51% of current employees who:            (i) currently reside in a Disproportionately         Impacted Area; or            (ii) have been arrested for, convicted of, or         adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this Act or member of an impacted family.

Sec. 7-30. Reporting. By January 1, 2021, and on January 1 of every year thereafter, or upon request by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer, each cannabis business establishment licensed under this Act shall report to the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer, on a form to be provided by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Officer, information that will allow it to assess the extent of diversity in the medical and adult use cannabis industry and methods for reducing or eliminating any identified barriers to entry, including access to capital. The information to be collected shall be designed to identify the following:        (1) the number and percentage of licenses provided to     Social Equity Applicants and to businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, and people with disabilities;        (2) the total number and percentage of employees in     the cannabis industry who meet the criteria in (3)(i) or (3)(ii) in the definition of Social Equity Applicant or who are minorities, women, veterans, or people with disabilities;         (3) the total number and percentage of contractors     and subcontractors in the cannabis industry that meet the definition of a Social Equity Applicant or who are owned by minorities, women, veterans, or people with disabilities, if known to the cannabis business establishment; and        (4) recommendations on reducing or eliminating any     identified barriers to entry, including access to capital, in the cannabis industry.

 Sec. 7-25. Transfer of license awarded to Qualified Social Equity Applicant.     (a) In the event a Qualified Social Equity Applicant seeks to transfer, sell, or grant a cannabis business establishment license within 5 years after it was issued to a person or entity that does not qualify as a Social Equity Applicant, the transfer agreement shall require the new license holder to pay the Cannabis Business Development Fund an amount equal to:         (1) any fees that were waived by any State agency     based on the applicant's status as a Social Equity Applicant, if applicable;        (2) any outstanding amount owed by the Qualified     Social Equity Applicant for a loan through the Cannabis Business Development Fund, if applicable; and        (3) the full amount of any grants that the Qualified     Social Equity Applicant received from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, if applicable.     (b) Transfers of cannabis business establishment licenses awarded to a Social Equity Applicant are subject to all other provisions of this Act, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act, and rules regarding transfers. (Source: P.A. 101-27, eff. 6-25-19; 101-593, eff. 12-4-19.)

Diversity and Inclusion vs. Equity and Social Justice