Definition of Social Justice

​Several organizations have their own definition of social justice:

“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 may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.” 

United Nations

"Social justice is 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. It recognizes that the legacy of past injustices remains all around us, so therefore promotes efforts to empower individual and communal action in support of restorative justice and the full implementation of human and civil rights. Social justice imperatives also push us to create a civic space defined by universal education and reason and dedicated to increasing democratic participation."

John Lewis Institute for Social Justice

Even though every organization seem to have slightly different definitions of social justice, there is a common theme: fair and equal access, privileges, and opportunities for all.

The NASW Code of Ethics is broad when it says that social workers need to participate in social and political action to advance social justice. This is because there are many injustices to be fought that continue to evolve over time. The actions that need to be made to pursue social change are dependent on each individual issue and injustice. To find out what actions you should be taking to fulfill your ethical responsibility to pursuing social justice, consult literature, articles, podcasts, social justice organizations on a topic that you are passionate about. Or, you can start with the NASW social justice priorities that has been identified as:

• Voting rights.

• Criminal justice / Juvenile justice.

• Environmental justice.

• Immigration.

• Economic justice.

To also help you become informed and facilitate participation in social and political action, we have begun to compile information on other social justice issues, which can be found HERE. These pages will continue to be updated and more will be added to allow you to browse the relevant information on a topic that you are passionate about.

Have something to add to these resources? Share them HERE!