Social Justice: What It Is and Is Not

Hello, all.  So sorry that it's taken so long to complete post, but I have had an admittedly hard time defining this particular topic.  Social justice is such an immense concept that it has been very difficult for me to narrow it down to the most important points to make.  As I sought to determine what information was the essential, I struggled to succinctly articulate everything I would like to say.  So, I will tell you ahead of time that I have given myself permission to omit some information, hoping that you will continue to read my blog and fill in later what I miss here.

When people hear the term "social justice," they react in one of three ways: 1. They are interested in finding out more ways they can help create a socially-just environment through self examination, 2. They reject it as an indictment of their personal beliefs and values, or 3. They do not care one way or another.  With this blog, I hope to speak to all of these groups.  My hope is to inform, dispel misconceptions, and persuade educators and parents of all groups to care.  For this reason, I think it's important to begin by explaining the concept of social justice in terms that make it understandable to all groups.  Please note that this explanation is based both on years of study and years of personal experience.

Quite simply, social justice is the creation of an environment that acknowledges the right of every individual to fully participate in all aspects of society regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.  However, there is nothing simple about trying to make this a reality.  This work is hard!

Below, I have listed the aspects of social justice that I consider foundational to my implementation of this concept in my classroom:

1. Social justice is an acknowledgement of the importance of each individual in a diverse society.
2. Social justice is an agreement to honor those characteristics that make us diverse.
3. Social justice is activity that promotes learning about those who are different from you in some way.
4. Social justice is autonomy from the stereotypes and negative imagery imparted to us through social conditioning and institutional practice.

Truly, I can go on and on, but I believe that these are some of the most significant aspects.  The struggle comes in the differences.  How do we honor conflicting world views and values?  How do we determine, as a community, what the characteristics and basic rights/principles of our social contract should be?  How do our institutions and governing bodies create laws and policies that communicate these values?  At times, this topic generates as many questions as it answers.

For those who believe that social justice is an indictment of their personal beliefs, it's extremely important to understand what social justice is not:

1. Social justice is not indoctrination.  As I teach, my goal is to create equal opportunity within my classroom, as well as an environment where individuals may examine the beliefs and experiences of those that differ from them.  Students can then make informed decisions as they encounter people they deem "other." At no point do I want to convince my students to believe exactly as I believe. 
2. Social justice is not a utopian theory.  There will always be a distinct understanding that we may not achieve full equity, but we must make the attempt anyway.  For this reason, philosopher John Rawls posited a theory of social justice that was "realistically utopian" (Rawls 4).  He created three principles of social justice: the Equal Liberties, Equal Opportunity, and Difference principles.

• The principle that takes first priority is the Equal Liberties principle.  It basically stated that each person has the unmitigated right to equal basic liberties. This principle should be achieved before anything else.
• The other two principles directly correlate with one another.  When social and economic injustices occur, they must satisfy two conditions; first, that they are connected to offices and positions that were open to all equally (Equal Opportunity principle) and that they are of benefit to the least-advantaged members of our society (the Difference principle).  The Equal Opportunity principle takes priority over the Difference principle because "equality is the most important element of social justice" (Robinson, "What is Social Justice?")

Understanding all of this requires not only an outward look at the way our institutions, policies and practices maintain systemic inequalities, but also an inward reflection of the ways in which we are socialized into these systems and the beliefs that uphold them.  This self-reflection must not focus upon the shame and guilt we might feel because of those times we may have been duplicitous in maintaining inequality, but instead become a true assessment of the patterns we inadvertently or unknowingly uphold, as well as ways to break those patterns.

In my next post, I will begin to provide sample lessons and ideas for creating a socially-just classroom environment.  However, I again stress that I am writing from several perspectives.  First, I am a student of social justice; I will share what I've already learned, as well as what I'm currently learning.  Second, I am a self-reflective practitioner; I will reflect upon my successes and failures in the hopes that you will learn from both.  Finally, I am a proud educator, so I will be doing a bit of bragging.  This year, my students are absolutely wonderful, and I feel very fortunate to be placed before them as their teacher.  My little (big) diverse lights!