The Future of Justice Relies on All of Us
Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an extraordinary advocate who led the way for many advances in civil rights. Yet, the battle against injustice and oppression of marginalized people continues. Indeed, in the face of racially charged rhetoric and policy proposals from our President, it can be difficult to remember the progress that has been made by our forebears.
As advocates, we feel a sense of urgency about pursuing justice.
It is urgent to dismantle criminal justice policies and practices that disproportionately harm people of color and people living in poverty. It is urgent to ensure that everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare. It is urgent to push back against xenophobia and ensure that our nation’s immigration policies are welcoming. It is urgent to ensure that our fiscal policies enable low-income families to make ends meet. It is urgent to protect workers’ financial and physical security. It is urgent to make safe, fair, affordable housing is a reality for all. And it is urgent to ensure that low-income and marginalized people are not stigmatized and stereotyped by those in power for political gain.
But in the face of so many injustices, where do we begin? How do we combat systemic racism and oppression that infects our institutions and social fabric? And how do we go about imagining a positive vision of the world in which opportunity and equity are real for everyone?
We are at a pivotal point in this country’s history.
And my peers — the next generation of social justice leaders — are asking these very questions. We are eager to find a way in which we can help. We feel desperate to invest progressive policies into morally bankrupt systems of racial and economic oppression. We have these feelings because our own human decency prohibits us from looking injustice in the face and walking away without trying to fix it.
The future of justice relies on our decency, urgency, and imagination.
Though we are traveling down a long and dark tunnel of oppression, as generations before us did, we must believe in the light of justice at the end. We must have the audacity to envision a just world and a future where everyone has access to a life of dignity and security.
To actively and effectively pursue justice, we must collaborate.
Our fights for freedom and equity are inextricably bound to one another; as Dr. King himself once famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Furthermore, this work can be isolating, and discouraging when we don’t take a moment to reflect on each other’s work, to learn from each other’s efforts, and collaborate on shared initiatives.
Today, I hope that the legacy of Dr. King will continue to inspire our next generation of advocates. And it should remind all of us that there are many dogs in the fight for justice, and that the future of justice is promising, so long as we continue to pursue it — no matter what the odds.
