Igniting Social Justice One Day At A Time

By Dr. Kim Carter

Our role in Social Justice can be molded by its very own definition, that when summarized, includes equality for humanity and opportunities all in the areas of gender, age, culture, religion, education, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, employment, physical health, mental health, etc.. Further, most Social Justice definitions posit the action behind the phrase equates to daily engagement on various societal levels. Social Justice, on a local, state, regional, or national level, has such a high demand for selflessness and humility. It can be challenging for some to fully embrace the action behind the words of supporting Social Justice beyond our own households/situations. Daily, we are charged with making a social difference when viewing where we live, where we work, what school our children attend, the quality of grocery store geographically closest to us, the disposable (if any) of financial income, and so on. And, daily we succeed. Our girth is vast and can handle more.  

We can hold the home front down while, at the same time, fighting for a level playing field in educational opportunities for our children, gender equal pay, cultural bias elimination, and more. There is great work being done to elevate social justice. And, there are a myriad of vehicles that drive social equality. My charge to us all is to jump on one of these ban wagons or get behind the reigns of our own by filling a gap or addressing a non-existent or low profile need. What does that mean? It means placing value on our time and resources while being a champion for diversity by inviting someone different from us to our boards and in our networks, serve on the pay equity committee, join the PTA, hold a “Ready Action Circle*” to discuss what mental illness looks like in your community, and use our influence to create employment opportunities and vie for wage increases for our unemployed and underemployed. These are just a few examples (see some others listed below by category). Please note that although work it being done, there is more work to do and that we can make a difference by Igniting Social Justice One Day At A Time. 

Social Justice in Economics:

• Address unconscious bias job roles; how do we break down the stereotype of our being labeled as undesirable workers due to being a female, having children, older, etc. 
• Financial plan to move beyond living paycheck to paycheck.

Social Justice in Education:

• Level the education playing field so that everyone has access and a right to the best education and instructors.
• Discuss school choice and the difference that can make in obtaining employment. 

Social Justice in Healthcare:

• Address preventative measures to avoid being labeled when receiving certain healthcare that accompany stigmas.
• Reduce healthcare benefits waiting time from the start of employment as 30-40 days is an extensive period of time for women and their children to go uncovered; Or, create/identify a healthcare gap option.