Social Justice

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.“. – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Join the union, girls, and together say Equal Pay for Equal Work.”  – Susan B. Anthony

“For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.” – US President Obama in 2013 at the inaugural address :

Seems like NOT much has CHANGED.

The list can go on as we as a humanity have a deep and long history. Lot of us humans have lived great lives and often pondered about the grave injustices of our times. After all, we are all mortals and cannot live forever. It seems throughout human history, there has always been some kind of social injustice. Whether its slavery or colonialism or casteism or racism or apartheid or women suffrage or civil rights or forced adoption of biological children from their “single mothers” or interracial marriages or gay rights or intersex rights or IVF (in vitro fertilization) rights and so on.

There are some VERY STRONG links between these.

1) They are widely accepted as social injustices. At one point in time, it was perfectly “legal” to practice these acts while once the struggle for social justice as had, laws were passed, the SAME ACTS became ILLEGAL.

2) After years or decades of struggle, at some point in time, the world does wake up, pass the EQUAL laws despite the STRONGEST of objections.

3) Typically, the group that is affected the most by each of these acts is a MINORITY.

4) In a democracy, the minority cannot get EQUAL rights without help and support from the MAJORITY even though these issues DO NOT affect the majority.

5) The people who may NOT be affected by these issues still need to be educated and made aware of the issues of each of these acts and the unequality it creates. This can ONLY be done through discussion, dialogue and sharing of truth and facts.

6) The MINORITIES continue to be victimized for which there is NO relief until the EQUAL laws come.

If history is a window into the future, more social injustices will be unearthed in the future, more struggles will be had, after education and spreading awareness, EQUAL laws will come. This is the cycle that humanity has created. Not perfect, but it is our utopia. We simply cannot satisfy ALL. Does that mean the voices who ask to be heard for their justice are WRONG? and should be SILENCED? Disagreeing with someone is NOT a CRIME, however using threats and oppression and manipulating LAWS is to SILENCE someone asking for justice is a CRIME.

Years ago a breast cancer patient lived in secrecy and stigma. There were less “survivors”. Today with awareness, education, truth, not only we have MORE SURVIVORS but also because of awareness there is better support both emotionally AND in research and development for better medical treatment including early diagnosis. Events like the recent publicity around Angelina Jolie only makes it more mainstream. If a spouse caregiver of breast cancer has the right to share facts and truth, does a spouse caregiver of intersex have same and EQUAL rights? More importantly, how is the secrecy helping anyone?

Is it wrong to ask for EQUAL rights for IVF children and families? Is it wrong to ask for EQUAL rights for intersex people and families? Unless we understand the LEGAL issues and the inequality that the IVF and intersex families are facing in 2013, how can the majority understand the issues they are facing? Without the majority understanding the issues, how can there be help and support in a democracy for the minority? Thats the system that us humans have set up. Vote banking. Not perfect but it is something and we have to work in those confines. May take years, decades or even expired lifetimes BUT that does not mean SILENCING the voices asking for justice and equality. Or does it?