"What does social justice mean to you in your own words."
This seemingly simple question lingered long after I left the four walls of my social justice seminar. What does social justice mean to me?
In my own words.
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In the words of Webster and his dictionary, social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities.
But in my words?
Social justice is the feeling that begins in the pit of my stomach and makes me want to hurl. It is the rage burning throughout my body. It's in the defeated tears that have been shed during countless sleepless nights. These feelings resonate true not only to me but to millions of people--human beings.
I feel sick, exhausted, outraged, and heavy-hearted because of the existence of social justice. In this day and era, in our society, people should not have to fight for their own human rights; they should have already been given.
Yet our society has an undeniable and increasing income and wealth gap, millions of people forced to sleep on the streets, millions of people starving or living of off unhealthy food--like fast food, chips, and soda-- because they can not afford essential foods rich in vitamins and minerals. The disparity between the people living below th poverty line is real. Our current way of living is unsustainable.
This list of basic human rights goes on and on, but these are basic human rights that are being denied to people, rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Rights like education, healthcare, and an earning wage they can actually live on--realistically I can't even live off of nine dollars an hour, much less families with children.
We can no longer deny the ongoing and real issues in our country like we've been doing so. We can't just think out of sight out of mind, that isn't the way things work at all. Just because you throw your trash away does not mean you don't have to deal with it anymore and it isn't a problem anymore--just look at what we've done to our planet, we have landfills floating on the pacific ocean. According to science, if all of the landfills in America were to be placed together the amount of trash would create a skyscraper approximately 40 stories tall.
Social justice to me means using my privileges and my abilities to help other people and create change so that there can finally be equality.
I understand the helplessness when looking at the facts, believe me. How can I, a 19-year-old woman, help the millions of people out in the world who are facing injustices in its many forms?
You can.
A good place to start is within ourselves and our own communities. See social injustice? Call it out. Tell your friends about the passion you have to change the lives of millions of human beings. Do you see someone who is homeless? Offer them a warm meal, a sweater, or some shoes. If you have nothing to give, please tell them they are loved and that they are cared for. Do what you would want others to do if you were in that situation. Find the issue that speaks to you and begin by bringing awareness to the issue. And if you have absolutely nowhere to begin, please share the message that I'm giving to you. Let it reach the corners of society and inspire others.
With the technological advances in our generation, there are simply no more excuses. Join me in speaking up and demanding change for a better world.
