justice requires necessary resources all While helping people live a safe and prosperous life, we respect the history, culture, and experiences of diverse groups. especially People who have been historically marginalized and oppressed.
in Education for diversity and social justiceis currently in its fourth edition, and my co-authors and I the goal For social justice: Everyone has fair access to resources and opportunities to develop their full potential, everyone participates democratically with others, and social policies and policies govern civic life. Create a society where mutual formation of institutions is welcomed.
of process We believe that achieving social justice necessarily requires being inclusive, respecting human diversity, and affirming the ability of all people to work with others to create change in society. Masu. collective happiness. Social justice requires the participation of everyone in a democratic and collaborative process based on the premise that there is enough to meet everyone’s needs.
- Social justice therefore works against greed, selfishness, and hatred and toward generosity, reciprocity, and love..
Respect for differences in race, ethnic heritage, class, age, gender, sexuality, ability, religion, nationality, etc. is a central feature of social justice. We cannot effectively address issues of injustice without recognizing and respecting diversity.
- Concrete knowledge about the histories, experiences, and ways in which different groups create meaning and value is important to social justice goals of recognition and respect.
Understanding and eliminating oppression are equal hallmarks of social justice. We cannot truly value diversity without addressing injustice in all its forms. Oppression is born, continued to live Through hierarchies that rank groups in ways that give some groups more power, social and economic advantages, and institutional and cultural relevance than others.
- Challenging hierarchies requires confronting ideological frameworks, historical legacies, and institutional patterns and practices that structure social relations unequally.
Social justice education therefore provides tools for examining the structural features of oppression and our own socialization in unjust systems. It helps raise awareness of injustice in our personal lives, communities, organizations and wider society. Such education equips us with empathy and commitment, and the ability to work with others to disrupt and change oppressive patterns and behaviors in ourselves and in our organizations and communities. You can acquire the skills and tools to do so.
- Understanding the dynamics of oppression is important for developing effective strategies to counter oppression.
As mentioned above, one of the central features of oppression is the classification of social groups into classes based on race, class, gender, sexuality, age, religion, and other indicators. A group’s position within a hierarchy regulates access to resources, participation, social respect, and self-actualization.
- Like a computer operating system, classification and hierarchy run invisibly in the background, making oppressive outcomes seem logical and inevitable.
Moreover, the effects of oppression are cumulative and transcend time and institutions, to the advantage of some and the disadvantage of others. For example, categorizing people into racial categories and labeling whites as superior was initially used to both expropriate land from indigenous peoples and force enslaved Africans to work at the founding of the country. Justified.
- Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants, who were not initially considered white, were gradually incorporated into this racial hierarchy that placed whites above other racial groups.
A combination of advantages and disadvantages is incorporated into the social system. This can be seen in the combined effects of segregating people by race and class. Today, people who live in poor, rural, or majority black and brown areas are likely to attend schools that lack resources. They have less access to promotions, reliable transportation, quality food, and health care. And you’ll be exposed to more environmental toxins. Naturally, people living in middle-class or above-middle-class neighborhoods will have access to well-resourced schools and opportunities, along with cleaner environments.
- Accumulated advantages and disadvantages are integrated into institutional policies and practices, solidifying privileges and disadvantages.
Oppressive conditions are normalized through the actions of people going about their daily lives and often cannot be isolated to individual or organizational actors. For example, marginalization and exclusion of people with disabilities does not require overt discrimination against people with disabilities, although this can occur.
- Business as usual without considering how to include people with disabilities is enough to block change.
They are able to climb stairs, reach elevator buttons and phones, use furniture and tools that suit their physical and functional needs, speak, use all of their senses, and generally Facilitates passage. Without challenging this status quo, looks completely natural For those whose access is not affected. That is, until you realize that these privileges are temporarily lost when you experience pregnancy, accident, illness, aging, or future disability.
Dehumanization is also a feature of oppression. Language and images that deny the full humanity of various groups of people play an important role in justifying abuse, brutality, and violence that would otherwise be unacceptable.
- This is one reason why words, beliefs, and symbols matter, not just for the purpose of politeness, but because they have the potential to lead the way to brutality.
For example, calling people in Mexico and Central America “animals” or “infesters” led to policies that separated children from their parents and put them in cages. And describing black men as “super-predators” justified police brutality against black people, even though police brutality is excused by more “kinder” terms. .
Remaining silent in the face of abuse and violence against others is also inhumane and ultimately leads to the deterioration of society as a whole. The dehumanization of systematic police violence and brutality against Black people widely accepted by white society Until we were shockingly confronted with the police killing of George Floyd on video.
Oppression is neither inevitable nor natural. it is, socialization. We internalize social norms not only to fit in and survive, but also to give meaning to our experiences. Through socialization, an unjust status quo becomes commonly accepted and replicated by both those who benefit and those who suffer from oppressive systems.
For example, to varying degrees, poor and wealthy people alike have internalized the stereotype that the poor are to blame for poverty and that those who accumulate wealth deserve it. Beliefs that young people are irresponsible and cannot take things seriously, or that older people work slower and are less energetic than middle-aged people in their “prime working age,” are held to be true by people of all ages. Masu.
- The pressure to rock the boat prevents most people from standing up to inequality and discrimination, and by simply going about their business as usual, they end up contributing to the perpetuation of injustice.
Oppression persists and sometimes transforms into new forms to withstand and overcome challenges to it. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was intended to overcome legal barriers at the state and local level that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote guaranteed by the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Section II was an enforcement mechanism to ensure the protection of this right.
In 2021, the Supreme Court weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act by removing Section 2, and state laws now protect black and brown people (and many people of all races, including young people, people with disabilities, and the elderly). It makes voting even more difficult. Tightening voter ID requirements, removing registered voters from voter rolls, closing early voting sites in Black and Indigenous communities, and removing drop boxes for mail-in ballots, to name a few.
- Social justice always requires equality persistent effort To maintain fair and just laws and practices.
Oppression does not affect black and brown communities equally, but it affects everyone.Written by Heather McGee The Sam of Us It traces the legacy of racism and white supremacy through zero-sum policies that ultimately harmed white people themselves.
Written by Dr. Jonathan Metzl death of whiteness How the racial resentment that fueled white support for gun control legislation, resistance to the Affordable Care Act, and cuts to schools and social services led to an increase in white gun suicide deaths and a decline in life expectancy. It shows how this has led to a decline in school dropout rates and an increase in school dropout rates. In the same way.
- The goal of social justice education is to help us recognize the terrible social, political, and moral costs of maintaining systems of oppression.
When millions of Americans are homeless and hungry, all of us There will be social and moral costs. The cost of enjoying abundance while others starve makes it increasingly difficult for our society to claim to be fair and for us to be decent human beings.
Equally important, we develop a clear view of the structural problems underlying the political and economic systems that ultimately make us all vulnerable to a changing international economy that ignores borders and allegiances. It can also be a hindrance.
- The productive and creative contributions of those locked out of the system are lost to everyone.
Increased violence and division are making it increasingly difficult for everyone to feel safe. Reduced social support, limited affordable housing, and lack of food and drinking water loom as a likely future for everyone who is not independently wealthy, especially as we age.
The current global pandemic and climate crisis have highlighted inequalities and injustices in health care, housing, labor and other areas, highlighting issues such as: our connected destinies We face challenges that cannot be overcome without addressing inequality.
- Social justice requires a commitment to equality and possibility, and a belief in people’s ability to change the world.
Repression is never complete. Justice is always under challenge, as evidenced by past and ongoing movements against which justice movements have made inroads. Just as we are socialized to be oppressed; consciously forget to learn That custom and Work actively Together with others, we imagine, practice, and enact more just and equitable possibilities for living together on this planet.
- Because it’s social fraud It is based on historical, institutional, and systemic patterns and is not simply a matter of individual bias or misunderstanding, and education alone cannot dismantle it.
However, the awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment developed through social justice education can be used in democratic, organized action toward institutional and social change aimed at creating a better world for all of us. You can lay the foundation for working effectively and even happily with other people.