The United Nations celebrates the World Day of Social Justice on February 20 of each year. The day was launched in 2009.
Image by Penn Today licensed under CC BY SA 4.0.
The Merritt College Library stands up for social justice and our Merritt College community. This guide links to sources for articles, books, and films that are available through the Merritt College Library and to other online resources as well.
This guide is a great starting point for discovery on the topic of social justice. You may uncover many high quality resources as you research this topic.
Social justice is one of the core values here at Merritt College. But what is it?
In essence, social justice is the belief that everyone is our society deserves fair treatment. It is the viewpoint that all people merit political, legal, economic, educational, social, and medical equality regardless of their race, ethnicity, origin, gender, or religion.
The John Lewis Institute for Social Justice defines it as "...a communal effort dedicated to creating and sustaining a fair and equal society in which each person and all groups are valued and affirmed. It encompasses efforts to end systemic violence and racism and all systems that devalue the dignity and humanity of any person."
Climate Change
Severe weather often hits low-income communities harder. This is a picture of a
family standing in front of the remainders of their house after Hurricane Ida.
Source: Bryan Tarnowski
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/780e11bd19cc4dfca54ac8fb1d5e926f
From NOAA report "In Harm's Way: Hurricane Ida's Impact on Socially Vulnerable Communities"
Civil Rights
The historic Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where the police attacked peaceful civil rights protesters trying to march to Montgomery on March 7, 1965. One of the marchers, John Lewis, went on to be elected to the U. S. House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th district and served for 33 years.
From Riveting40
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edmund_Pettus_Bridge_3.jpg
