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What is Social Justice?
What is Social Justice?
Social justice is the idea of fair and just relations between society and the individual including distributions of power and equal opportunities for all. Often times this includes an individual contributing to society and receiving some sort of benefit in return.
Mission Statement
"Greater Birmingham Ministries strives to serve God’s purpose of justice and peace by healing the wounds of the community and struggling in community to realize more just systems and more faithful relationships."
Greater Birmingham Ministries
Greater Birmingham Ministries
What We Did
What We Did
We broke into separate groups to help clean and organize various items around the Center. A few of us worked on organizing bags for the food pantry that would be distributed to the community later that week. Another group worked on putting clothes in the appropriate areas in the clothing closet. We helped clean windows, floors, and walls around the Center that other workers are never able to get around to as well. We learned a lot from the staff as they each gave us their own story to how they got involved in GBM which was inspirational to all of us.
How It Relates To Social Justice
How It Relates To Social Justice
- Created in 1969 to address the human and justice needs in the Birmingham area
- A multi-faith, multi-race organization that provides emergency services for those in need
- Strives to serve people by providing financial assistance, food and clothes for people in need
- Build community by working with different faith groups to expand and serve as allies
- Pursue justice by working with low-income neighborhoods to inform and engage them on issues affecting them
The Lovelady Center
The Lovelady Center
What We Did
What We Did
Our team aided in the cleanup of The Lovelady Center's roof. Their roof needed repairs but had to be rid of garbage and other items before that could happen, which is where we came in. We split into groups, took part in various tasks and completed the project. The work included picking up trash and debris, removing large pieces of wood from the roof, and doing general tidy work tasks such as sweeping and dusting. We also learned more about The Lovelady Center and how it functions, and heard incredible testimonies from several of the women we met.
How It Relates To Social Justice
How It Relates To Social Justice
The Justice System does not have a transitional program that helps women re-enter society. Without a viable means to support themselves and learn to live a new life, many turn to former friends and criminal activity.
In Alabama, Julia Tutwiler Women's Facility was designed for a capacity of 400. As of July 2018, Tutwiler's population is 975 women. The need for residential rehabilitation and community transitional programs has become great.
In 2016, The Lovelady Center received a call from Warden Steve Watson of the Alabama Department of Corrections to inform them that the center was partially responsible for a decrease in the recidivism rate across Alabama. While the Center focuses directly on working with female inmates, their success has lowered the rate for both men and women across Alabama.
Mission Statement
"No one in Alabama should go hungry. And we believe there is a solution to the problem of hunger in Alabama. For every person who is currently in need, there are even more people in Alabama willing and able to reach out with a helping hand."
Community Foodbank of Central Alabama
Community Foodbank of Central Alabama
What We Did
What We Did
Our whole team helped pack nonperishable food into boxes. These boxes would then go towards people who are food insecure. We packaged just a little over 300 meals. To do this we created an assembly line, everyone was assigned a specific food to put in the box or they made the boxes or weighed and closed them.
How it Relates to Social Justice
How it Relates to Social Justice
- A prevalent problem in Birmingham is hunger, this community food bank strives to help those in need due to this problem.
- They help all persons who are in different situations and come from different backgrounds through 12 different programs that they offer.
- Founded in 1981 to help neighbors in need of emergency food.
- Delivers to schools, senior housing facilities, clinics and much more.
- Together as a community they are feeding over 60,000 people at risk of hunger per month.
West End Urban Garden
West End Urban Garden
What We Did
What We Did
Upon arrival there were two men working who had many jobs planned for the seventeen of us. Some of us helped to make compost, some watered plants, some painted, and others pulled weeds and tended to the soil beds. All in all, we accomplished a lot of tasks that the few volunteers at the community garden would not have been able to do themselves.
How it Relates to Social Justice
How it Relates to Social Justice
- A major social problem in Birmingham and in the community of the garden is that many people, including young adults, are not engaged in their community and do not posses the skills that may be considered necessary for employment.
- West End (WE) Urban Garden was founded in 2008 by the organizations Community Church Without Walls and Urban Ministry.
- The primary purpose of the community gardens is to provide a space for the community to come together and benefit one another.
- According to the Urban Ministry Website, WE Garden hires young adults through the Workforce and Life Skills Program that Urban Ministries has developed called WE Work.
- WE Work and the WE Garden benefit each other because young adults are able to learn how they can benefit their community while also benefiting themselves.
"Young adults are hired into one of our social enterprises where they focus on essential workforce skills, but also on critical life skills like professionalism, conflict resolution, financial literacy and time management. Following the three year internship, graduates of the program transition to full-time employment or higher education opportunities" (Urban Ministry).
- People in the community who volunteer at the garden for one hour get to take home some produce.
What we Learned About Social Justice
What we Learned About Social Justice
Alex
Alex
I learned that there are numerous ways that social justice issues can be handled and that sometimes even the simplest solutions can make a big difference and help a lot of people. I was also reminded by one of the employees at Greater Birmingham Ministries that although people generally want to save everyone, it is not always possible to do so, but that it shouldn't discourage people from helping at all. From all of our time spent at each organization I learned that everyone was just so thankful towards us for having come to their area and hearing their stories and assisting them with any needs they may have had. I believe that what we learned from this trip as it relates to public service and social justice can even be applied to things that are happening in Iowa City at places like student community garden as I'm sure a lot of people will both benefit and be appreciative like the groups in Birmingham.
Nada
Nada
I learned that with the work we did in Birmingham with these various organizations, that each are striving towards a common goal. It is to provide the assistance to the community they are targeting. I learned that each of these organizations are addressing social justice in different ways, whether it’s through food assistance, shelter, or education, each have a way of addressing the issue at hand. I think it was important to be a part of these different organizations and help them out to learn the broad scope of justice they are fighting for and how they are doing so and to later apply it here in Iowa City and on campus.
Veronica
Veronica
I learned that the groups we worked with are all helping those in need in the community by serving "together". Each organization had their own job and task that they set out to accomplish but when looking at the different goals you can see that they are creating a whole community. I also learned what I can do to address a problem and help those affected by the problem in my community. Engaging in a movement, such as the ones we witnessed in Birmingham, can help in the aspect of social justice.
Hayley
Hayley
Through the service learning in these very different organizations, I learned how the idea of "community" can take a variety of forms, and that even the smallest of actions can go a long way and mean the world to others. All of these groups that we worked with aided the community of Birmingham in their own ways, but they all had the commonality of creating their own community and assisting community members by utilizing social justice practices. The leaders that we met taught us about what goes on behind-the-scenes and by discussing their testimonies, we learned how perseverance is vital in the areas of non-profit and service work. By engaging in projects that were helpful to these organizations, I learned how any kind of assistance truly means the world to them because it aids them in combatting social injustices in the community.
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