Social Justice

To some, social justice may sound like a faraway ideal. To some it may be something they believe is already in practice. For most, social justice is believed to be something that should not just be preached, but exercised and upheld. Justice is not just a problem for the government or higher powers to deal with; justice on a personal level is the starting point for global justice. It is an individual responsibility. Everyone who wishes justice for their selves, should wish it upon others, and endeavour to make it a reality.

Martin Niemoller's famous poem "First They Came..." describes the targeting of minority groups by the Nazis in their rise to power. It illustrates the idleness and inactivity of German intellectuals, who did not speak out for what was right simply because they were not affiliated with the targeted groups. Their passive attitudes meant there was little to no active opposition to the Nazi party in Germany at the time. The poem is translated to say "When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained quiet; I was not a communist." This repeats with the same message for social democrats, trade unionists, and Jews. The poem ends saying, "When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out." Niemoller recognized that, for a difference to be made, people would have to speak out when they were not directly affected to help those who were, and were unable to protest alone.

Susan B. Anthony spoke out for women's suffrage, when she bravely cast her ballot in 1872, knowing she would have a struggle ahead of her. Unfaltering, she went to court to protest her right for suffrage, claiming the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution entitled women to vote. The Fourteenth Amendment states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States... are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States..." Nowhere in the Amendment did it state that "persons" meant males, and therefore, nowhere in the Amendment did it say that women should be denied the right to vote. During her trial, she disputed the words of the constitution with the judge, and additionally argued that she was being denied a fair trial. She claimed that, had she received such a "fair" trial, it still would not be so because the jury would consist of males who were not her peers because they were entitled to vote and she was not. By casting her vote, and making her voice heard, Susan B. Anthony made a very important step for American women's suffrage.  

Justice not just an ideal, but an act. On a personal level, each individual can assist in social justice. A famous parable, Entitled "A Simple Gesture" has spread across the Internet and been featured in the book Chicken Soup For the Soul. It narrates the story of a boy who was bullied in high school and planning suicide. Walking home from school one day, carrying all his books and belongings from his locker, he was tripped over by a group of bullies, thus confirming to himself his intentions to end his life. What he did not expect, however, was the simple kindness of a stranger, who helped him pick up his books and find his glasses, which had flown across the grass during his fall. Years later he tells that stranger, who by now has become a friend, that his simple gesture of kindness prevented him from ending his life that night. The reliability of this story can be contested. Names have been changed, and details altered, but the message remains the same despite. One person can make a difference.  

Global justice will begin to occur when personal justice occurs on a global level. When individuals accept their responsibility and make an effort to ensure justice is happening around them, global justice will be achievable and not just an impossible goal. Positive attitudes and ideas spread. If no one stands up for what they believe in, nothing will happen about it. Whether it be directly concerning them or, in the case of Niemoller's poem, simply someone speaking out for what they know is wrong because they know if they don't, no one might. In the case of Susan B. Anthony, one woman stood up for her right, but she didn't do it for just her own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole female race. In the case of "A Simple Gesture", one boy helped another, because the other was plagued by social injustices, and in the end, a life was saved. One person will soon become a city, a state, a nation. The desire for social justice will grow and, by that time, become unstoppable. In the words of Barack Obama. "Nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change."