Justice

Justice is the concept of fairness. Social justice is fairness as it manifests in society. In a socially-just society, human rights are respected and discromination is not allowed to flourish. Social justice education is meant to provide a systems map, for the territory of change and the personal/intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational/community, and institutional/cultural level. A right is a claim that we are justified in making. "When we call anything a person’s right, we mean that he has a valid claim on society to protect him in the possession of it, either by the force of law, or by that of education and opinion" - John Stuart Mill.  Human rights, however, are not dependent on promises or guarantees by another party. Someone's right to life is not dependent on someone else promising not to kill him or her: their life may be, but their right to life is not. Their right to life is dependent on only one thing: that they are human. An acceptance of human rights means accepting that everyone is entitled to make these claims: I have these rights, no matter what you say or do, because I am a human being, just like you. Human rights are inherent to all human beings as a birthright. 

Defining Social Justice

While formal definitions for social justice vary in wording, there are commonalities among them.

• Equal rights

• Equal opportunity

• Equal treatment

• Access

• Participation

• Equity

With these core values in mind, we can define the phrase as such: Social justice means equal rights and equitable opportunities for all.

Social justice focuses on power dynamics among different groups of people while acknowledging historical and institutional inequities. 

The principles of social justice

For social justice to become a reality, four pillars must be built: human rights, access, participation, and equity. Social justice can’t be achieved without these four principles.

Human rights

The connection between social justice and human rights has strengthened over the years to the point where many use “social justice” and “human rights” interchangeably. While they are technically different, it’s clear to activists that one can’t thrive without the other. When a society is just, it protects and respects everyone’s human rights. When a society respects and promotes human rights, social justice flourishes. This connection is essential because human rights are recognized globally. When activists fight for social justice, they can lean on the connection with human rights to hold governments, corporations, and individuals accountable.

Characteristics of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948.

Human rights are inalienable.
This means that you cannot lose them, because they are linked to the very fact of human existence, they are inherent to all human beings. In particular circumstances some – though not all – may be suspended or restricted. For example, if someone is found guilty of a crime, his or her liberty can be taken away; or in times of national emergency, a government may declare this publicly and then derogate from some rights, for example in imposing a curfew restricting freedom of movement.

Human rights are indivisible, interdependent and interrelated.
This means that different human rights are intrinsically connected and cannot be viewed in isolation from each other. The enjoyment of one right depends on the enjoyment of many other rights and no one right is more important than the rest.

Human rights are universal
Which means that they apply equally to all people everywhere in the world, and with no time limit. Every individual is entitled to enjoy his or her human rights without distinction of "race" or ethnic background, colour, sex, sexual orientation, disability, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status.

Access

A just society depends on access to essentials like shelter, food, medical care, and education. It isn’t enough for a society to invest in innovations or create new opportunities; society must also prioritize access. If access is restricted based on factors like gender, race, or class, it leads to suffering for individuals, communities, and society as a whole. Social justice activists spend a lot of time working to restore and increase access for everyone and not just a few select groups.

Participation

Who gets to have a say in society? Social justice isn’t possible if only a few voices are respected. Unfortunately, the voices of the marginalized and vulnerable are often silenced in favor of those with more wealth, cultural influence, and political power. This is even the case when people have good intentions and want to address major societal problems. If the voices of those most affected aren’t heard, solutions are likely to fail or possibly make things worse. Participation must be promoted, encouraged, and rewarded so everyone – especially those who haven’t had a chance to participate before – can speak.

Equity

Many people believe “equality” is one of the principles of social justice, but it’s actually “equity.” What’s the difference? Equity takes into account the effects of discrimination and aims for an equal outcome. There’s an often-cited and adapted graphic (originally created by business professor Craig Froehle) which demonstrates this clearly and simply: three people are trying to watch a baseball game over a fence. All of them stand on a box. One can easily see the field, while the other can just barely see, while the last person is still unable to watch. “Equality” has given everyone just one box to stand on, even though the tallest person doesn’t need a box and one box doesn’t allow the shortest person to see. “Equity” gives the tallest person’s box to the shortest person, allowing them to see. Now, everyone can watch the game.

Using a Social Justice Framework to Guide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work

DEI Competency Area

Project Ready