What is Social Justice? When talking to others and using the term “social justice" do they know what that term means? I did a little web searching, to find an easy answer to "what does Social Justice mean". Wikipedia says, “Social justice refers to conceptions of justice applied to an entire society. It is based on the idea of a just society, which gives individuals and groups fair treatment and a just share of the benefits of society.” At the website of the Social Justice Training Institute, I found this: Adams, Bell and Griffin (1997) define social justice as both a process and a goal. “The goal of social justice education is full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure.” Another definition from the Social Justice Training Institute gave this definition: “Social policies that allow all people to live with dignity, including access to adequate food, clean water, shelter, security, healthcare, meaningful work, and the freedom to participate in decisions that govern their lives". H.G. Wells and friends, in their Declaration of Rights, tell us: “Every man is a joint inheritor of all the natural resources and of the powers, inventions and possibilities accumulated by our forerunners. He is entitled, within the measure of these resources and without distinction of race, color or professed beliefs or opinions, to the nourishment, covering and medical care needed to realise his full possibilities of physical and mental development from birth to death. Notwithstanding the various and unequal qualities of individuals, all men shall be deemed absolutely equal in the eyes of the law, equally important in social #life and equally entitled to the respect of their fellow-men.” This view is exemplified in the United Nations assertion that: Human rights are based on respect for the dignity and worth of all human beings and seek to ensure freedom from fear and want. Poverty In the early 200's Uniting Care Australia urged us to accept that all Australians are entitled to a decent #life, in which they have access to work, education, housing, food and recreation. They also reminded us that a significant minority of Australians lack such a decent #life. 10 years on the message is no different. Race Few would disagree that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the single most disadvantaged group in Australia. The appalling and often repeated statistics tend to produce a numbed response in any audience and a sense of helplessness amongst many policy makers. To our shame, we have third world problems in our first world society. All this is doubly important because societies which have the greatest differentials in wealth and income are also the most unequal in access to other resources, including power and influence. The International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (article 1) does not define "race" but it does define "racial discrimination" to mean "any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public #life." Ethnicity is explicitly subsumed under this definition by the term "race". Most human rights treaties simply refer to "race" and do not use the terminology of "ethnicity". Disability People with Disability Australia Incorporated have a vision that states: "We have a vision of a socially just, accessible, and inclusive community, in which the human rights, citizenship, contribution, potential and diversity of all people with disability are respected and celebrated." They further state that: People with disability, irrespective of our age, gender, cultural or linguistic background, geographic location, sexuality, or the nature, origin, or degree of our disability • Have a right to #life, and to bodily integrity • Are entitled to a decent standard of living, an adequate income, and to lead active and satisfying lives • Are people first, with human, legal, and service user rights that must be recognised and respected • Are entitled to the full enjoyment of our citizenship rights and responsibilities • Are entitled to live free from prejudice, discrimination and vilification • Are entitled to social support and adjustments as a right, and not as the result of pity, charity or the exercise of social control • Contribute substantially to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social diversity and well-being of our community • Possess many skills and abilities, and have enormous potential for #life-long growth and development • Are entitled to live in, and be a part of, the diversity of the community • Have the right to participate in the formulation of those policies and programs that affect our lives • Should be empowered to exercise our rights and responsibilities, without fear of retribution. Basically,this is all that social justice and equity are about- the very straightforward notion that a society should be somewhere where everyone has a place, and where everyone is of equal value and importance Ian Parsons (Oliver Twist has asked for more) SOCIAL JUSTICE STARTS AT HOME- it should certainly be hugely evident in a community organisation. How on earth can we work so hard to maintain that everyone is equal whilst still demonstrating that we hold prejudices against the very people we work with? Sometimes we all need reminders to : Celebrate others Celebrate those who are a bit 'zany' we need bright optimistic and bubbly people in our lives Celebrate those who have a lot to say when we are so 'busy' we haven't got time to listen- you might be surprised and delighted by what they have to say Celebrate those who take a bit longer to do things- they are teaching us to be patient- maybe we will live longer because of it How arrogant we are to actually be 'annoyed' by other people who are simply being themselves. Today, try not to react with irritation to anyone- celebrate their difference All these are good definitions, but this #quote from Archbishop Helder Camara really helped clarify social justice for me, distinguishing it from charity: “When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.” Social justice means asking the hard questions. Merely feeding the poor is charity. Charity is fine, but it doesn't address the question of why the poor have no food. Social justice asks the question, finds the answer, and works to see to it that, from now on, the poor will always have food. Social justice asks why some schools have 30 year old text books while others have the latest texts and a computer for every student, then works to make sure the latest texts and computers will always be available in every school. There's an old story that takes place in a village on a river bank: One summer in the village, the people in the town gathered for a picnic. As they leisurely shared food and conversation, someone noticed a baby in the river, struggling and crying. The baby was going to drown! Someone rushed to save the baby. Then, they noticed another screaming baby in the river, and they pulled that baby out. Soon, more babies were seen drowning in the river, and the towns people were pulling them out as fast as they could. It took great effort, and they began to organize their activities in order to save the babies as they came down the river. As everyone else was busy in the rescue efforts to save the babies, two of the townspeople started to run away along the shore of the river. "Where are you going?" shouted one of the rescuers. "We need you here to help us save these babies!" "We are going upstream to stop whoever is throwing them in!" Social justice means going upstream to stop whoever is throwing babies in the river.