There are a variety of definitions for “Social justice,” but they all include the core values of equal rights, equal opportunity and equal treatment. It has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their societal roles and receive what was their due from society. These are brief organizational descriptions of social justice.
● Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth. (United Nations)
● Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Social workers aim to open the doors of access and opportunity for everyone, particularly those in greatest need. (National Association of Social Workers)
● Social justice encompasses economic justice. Social justice is the virtue which guides us in creating those organized human interactions we call institutions. In turn, social institutions, when justly organized, provide us with access to what is good for the person, both individually and in our associations with others. Social justice also imposes on each of us a personal responsibility to work with others to design and continually perfect our institutions as tools for personal and social development. (Center for Economic and Social Justice)
● Social justice is fairness as it manifests in society. That includes fairness in healthcare, employment, housing, and more. Discrimination and social justice are not compatible. (Human Rights Careers)
● Social justice is a political and philosophical theory which asserts that there are dimensions to the concept of justice beyond those embodied in the principles of civil or criminal law, economic supply and demand, or traditional moral frameworks. Social justice tends to focus more on just relations between groups within society as opposed to the justice of individual conduct or justice for individuals. (Investopedia)
Collectively, these individuals, who are or were from different walks of life, have devoted much of their lives confronting and addressing specific areas of injustice. These injustices include, but are not limited to anti-semitism, bigotry, civil rights, classism, discrimination, heterosexism, homophobia, lynching, racism, segregation, sexism, white supremacy and voting rights.