What Is Social Justice: Part II

What is Social Justice? Social justice haunts my dreams, and follows me throughout the day. No evening can come without me reflecting on what it is, and how I fit into social justice during the day. It is impossible for me, especially running this organization, to not wonder about it constantly. I have little tolerance in my life for injustice. To be told that something cannot be done, purely because it’s not the way it’s done, is something that boils my blood. Tradition, for tradition’s sake is a measure of social injustice. If there is a better way, if there is a different, but equal way, and it is squashed, that is an injustice. If someone is stopped because others fear change, that is social injustice. I believe social justice to be an evolution- the evolution of man, of society, of beliefs. It is fundamentally the same, but changes in how it manifests because there is no rigid rule set for it. Each day, it molds and is created in every interaction we are a part of.

Supposedly I am considered a “radical social worker” due to my views on social justice. The thing is, I hate the association to the term radical. When one things of radical, you think of crazy, hare-brained schemes, that push the very boundaries of society. My idea of social justice is anything but radical in my mind. In fact, it’s the simplest, and most conservative view I own. Social justice, by its very definition means the fair treatment of every person in society. Martin Luther King Jr. was a radical, but he was preaching the least radical idea out there: 1=1. No exceptions.

Now, many consider this to be radical and extreme because they think believing in social justice means that everyone gets free hand-outs. Justice, does not always imply mercy, or in this case, endless charity. The terms justice and mercy cannot be used interchangeably because there are times when justice is not merciful. What social justice means to me, is that each person has the ability to receive the same benefits out of life that anyone else does. They must be allowed access to the same education, healthcare, job opportunities and lifestyle choices as anyone else, regardless of race, religion, wealth or orientation. And that might not necessarily save them from problems. How many times as children do we hear “life isn’t fair?” It might not be fair, but it can be just. Now that example is a very narrow viewpoint of social justice. Move up along the ladder to larger groups, societies, countries, and the idea stays the same. 1=1. So what if my idea that equality is radical? Then my dream for what social justice is, that it becomes so much of the norm, that to be radical would be to believe in social injustice.