Everyone who invests their time in volunteering or community work wants to improve the world. One way to do that is to advocate for global and local social justice.
In Qela, we provide grassroots movements and communities with tools to change and fight social injustice in their corners of the world. But what exactly is social justice, and why is it essential to consider it a concept when building your grassroots campaign strategy?
What is Social Justice?
According to the United Nations, social justice “may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.” Basically, social justice is a concept of fair distribution of wealth, opportunities, coverage of basic needs, and other things within society. It can be confused with social equality, which stems from the idea that everyone has equal rights, responsibilities, and access to goods. On the other hand, social justice considers the existing injustices and inequalities and tries to figure out how to lift and compensate those suffering.
Why is it Important to Fight for Social Justice?
Fighting for social justice is essential because it ensures that everyone has access to equal rights and opportunities regardless of their background. In a just society, people are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect, which leads to more robust, more cohesive communities.
When we advocate for social justice, we challenge systemic inequalities and work to dismantle the barriers that prevent marginalized groups from thriving. This fight is not just about addressing immediate wrongs—it's about creating a foundation for a more inclusive, equitable future where everyone can contribute to and benefit from society's collective progress.
Social justice as a whole has received considerable publicity in the last decade. Many issues connected to it have also received considerable attention, and many grassroots movements and established organizations have been fighting to overturn these problems.
Still, there is never too much—or even enough—attention to solving social justice issues. Many of them are well-represented by movements on global or national levels—for example, Black Lives Matter fighting racism in the United States or Fridays for Future, leading climate change advocacy around the world.
However, many of these issues still need representation on the local level, and many of their aspects should be getting more attention.
What are the Social Justice Issues No One Talks About?
Environmental Racism
This term was first coined by civil rights movement leader Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. It refers to the intentional pollution of areas predominantly populated by people of color, migrants, low-income groups, and other marginalized communities. The idea is that because these communities are less privileged, they tend to be more exposed to harmful outcomes of industrialization, deforestation, and overall climate change.
Numerous studies show that these populations are more prone to problems like cancer or respiratory diseases because they are constantly exposed to toxic pollutants or natural occurrences connected to climate change, such as floods, hurricanes, etc.
Health and Healthcare Inequality
This issue is based on the disparities in health and healthcare between different social groups that have their roots in other existing social and economic inequities. According to KFF, health disparities include differences in life expectancy, mortality, and prevalence of health conditions. Healthcare inequalities include differences among social groups in access to healthcare, health insurance coverage and affordability, and quality of care.
Even though “good health and well-being” is the third of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, inequalities in health metrics and healthcare accessibility are far from a thing of the past, even in developed countries like the USA. Therefore, there are numerous ways to contribute to solving these issues—from educating yourself on the disparities present in your community to even volunteering in hospitals.
LGBTQ+ Rights and Backlash
The issue of equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community — be it access to healthcare, marriage equality, or basic safety — has been relevant for decades. However, it has become one of the most spoken about recent social justice issues because of the resurgence of homophobia and conservatism in many different regions of the world.
LGBTQ+ community around the world has to fight for its safety and survival every day. In conservative countries, they might be denied access to healthcare, work, education or even face threats to their safety in their day-to-day life with no hope for the government to protect them. Lately, sadly, this has been the case even in the western countries.
Numerous social justice issues need more attention and consideration on social and political levels. In Qela, we are eager to provide social justice warriors worldwide with tools and methodologies to help them conquer even the most complicated social injustices. Our volunteer management software offers gamification tools such as quests, interactive learning features, and a unique reward system that helps organizations increase civic engagement and volunteer retention. Learn more about our solutions here: https://www.qela.app/