The United Nations’ World Day of Social Justice is Feb. 20, making this month a good time to ponder what social justice means to the Munroe-Meyer Institute community.
The dictionary defines social justice as “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society” or “the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society.” There are many social justice movements and organizations, all doing amazing work.
But advancing social justice most often is looked at in the context of poverty, education, equal opportunity employment and race. While these are all important missions, it is worth noting that “social justice” has been less focused on the challenges faced by those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and special health care needs.
We should all be part of these conversations. MMI continues to work with community partners to help amplify the voices and concerns of self-advocates and their families and supporters in the IDD community. We need a stronger voice at the table. It is part of MMI’s mission to help that voice resonate, so that when matters of social justice are being considering, our community is not overlooked.
“Human rights . . . manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society.” It’s a worthy goal. And we are working to ensure that those rights are manifested in our community, as well. It is an ongoing battle, but working together, it also is an achievable goal.