The Social Justice Day is another day observed by the United Nations to promote the “underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations.” In the year 2007, the United Nations proclaimed February 20 as the World Social Justice Day inviting member states to advocate Social Justice for fair Globalization. Recently, the International Labor Organization adopted the Declaration on Social Justice for Fair Globalization.
This obviously doesn’t mean that February 20th is the only day that we should advocate for Social Justice. Social Justice must be promoted every day. But February 20th will lay the foundation for a focused advocacy and promotion when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
When we connect volunteers to opportunities and make communities more engaging, we believe that we contribute to the Social Development Goal 12 which is “Reducing Inequalities,” specifically contributing to help empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic or other statuses.
So these are some things you could do to promote Social Justice in your community. We can’t make nations work together if we can’t see eye-to-eye with our neighbor, right?
Stand – Speak – Act
You can do a lot of things on Social Justice Day. We all know that we take our freedom, quality of life, accessibility of resources and the network of love for granted sometimes. So today is a day you can walk about and work with people who don’t necessarily have those portions in their lives.
- Get to know about a Social Justice issue
Yeah, we don’t know everything. But hey – there’s a lot of issues out there relating to Social Justice. We can go online and do a little research to know what Social Justice is and understand the gap of theory and practical application of justice in our community. Maybe you’ll be able to find someone who needs help.
- Meet someone from a different culture/country
Most of the misunderstandings between cultures and nations happen because the people in those countries haven’t really sparked an effective conversation. When you meet someone from a different country or culture, you need to remember NOT to assume things. Instead, ask questions respectfully and inform them that you don’t know a lot about their culture. Remember: even if you have traveled to their country multiple times, they tend to know more about you because they LIVE/LIVED there. So go with a blank mind.
- Learn about how cultures handle things
Social Justice is celebrated in different ways. These differences cater to different cultural measures. So go on YouTube or Google and search to see how different countries celebrate Social Justice. Some countries actually encourage people to influence decision-makers to adopt legislation. Some countries just literally meet with each other and renew their friendships and let go of bad vibes. Some countries encourage their people to just dance – because when we dance we are happy and happiness really ease out a lot of conflicts.
- Listen to learn, not to reply!
For once, listen to someone to LEARN and not to reply. When you engage in conversation, breathe in what they say and let your mind process it. Don’t listen to reply. This helps.
- Promote Social Justice on Social Media
There will be a lot of people who have no clue about Social Justice (or at least any idea beyond the two words). So post something on Social Media and spread awareness about this day. That’s the whole point – so if people don’t know what Social Justice is or what laws that stand to protect them, this day will encourage them to learn more and be respectful and also stand up for their rights and justice. Something you can do it simply share this article (Thanks in advance)
Last but not least, don’t stop when the day ends. At least we are hopeful that justice won’t. So advocate for Social Justice and be a responsible Global Citizen.
