social justice
Equitable resource distribution
Social justice is the principle that society should distribute resources, opportunities, and privileges fairly among all people.
The term often appears in advocacy for marginalized groups—addressing inequalities based on race, gender, class, or other categories: She dedicated her career to social justice work.
Critics sometimes use it dismissively to characterize what they see as excessive focus on identity politics.
Public expression of disapproval
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
- movementChange in position
- organizingSystematically putting in order
demonstration · march · rally · civil disobedience · campaign · coalition · solidarity · direct action
Coexistence of diverse traditions
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- intersectionalityInterconnected identity-based discrimination study
- representationDepiction or likeness
- identityWho someone is
lived experience · positionality · standpoint · cultural diversity · ethnic diversity · racial diversity · gender diversity · neurodiversity
Identical legal protections
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- egalitarianismPhilosophy of universal equality
- non-discriminationEqual treatment regardless of difference
- equal opportunityUnbiased chance for all
voting rights · suffrage · desegregation · anti-discrimination · equal protection · marriage equality · pay equity · gender equality
Depiction or likeness
- belongingState of fitting in
- accessibilityEase of approach
- participationAct of taking part
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
visibility · voice · safe space · accommodation · centering · marginalization · tokenism · mainstreaming
Inalienable personal freedoms
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- constitutional rightsLegally protected individual freedoms
- legal protectionRights enforceable by law
- due processGuaranteed judicial fairness
freedom of speech · freedom of assembly · bodily autonomy · reproductive rights · workers' rights · labor rights · immigrant rights · refugee rights
Sharing out again differently
- reparationsCompensation for historical wrongs
- affirmative actionPrograms boosting marginalized representation
- disparitiesUnequal differences in condition
- systemic changeTransformation affecting whole institutions
wealth gap · access · opportunity gap · proportional representation · corrective measures · redlining · disinvestment · food desert
Adopted principle of action
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- police reformChanging how law enforcement operates
- decarcerationReducing imprisonment rates
- bail reformChanging pretrial release rules
sentencing reform · systemic change · structural change · accountability · oversight · transparency · due process · legal reform
protest
Public expression of disapproval
- advocacyPleading for a cause
- grassrootsCommon people as political base
- movementChange in position
organizing · demonstration · march · rally · civil disobedience · campaign · coalition · solidarity · direct action · sit-in
multiculturalism
Coexistence of diverse traditions
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
- intersectionalityInterconnected identity-based discrimination study
- representationDepiction or likeness
identity · lived experience · positionality · standpoint · cultural diversity · ethnic diversity · racial diversity · gender diversity · neurodiversity · religious diversity
equal rights
Identical legal protections
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- egalitarianismPhilosophy of universal equality
- non-discriminationEqual treatment regardless of difference
equal opportunity · voting rights · suffrage · desegregation · anti-discrimination · equal protection · marriage equality · pay equity · gender equality · racial equality
representation
Depiction or likeness
- belongingState of fitting in
- accessibilityEase of approach
- participationAct of taking part
empowerment · visibility · voice · safe space · accommodation · centering · marginalization · tokenism · mainstreaming · disability rights
human rights
Inalienable personal freedoms
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
- constitutional rightsLegally protected individual freedoms
- legal protectionRights enforceable by law
due process · freedom of speech · freedom of assembly · bodily autonomy · reproductive rights · workers' rights · labor rights · immigrant rights · refugee rights · indigenous sovereignty
redistribution
Sharing out again differently
- reparationsCompensation for historical wrongs
- affirmative actionPrograms boosting marginalized representation
- disparitiesUnequal differences in condition
systemic change · wealth gap · access · opportunity gap · proportional representation · corrective measures · redlining · disinvestment · food desert · healthcare access
policy
Adopted principle of action
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- police reformChanging how law enforcement operates
- decarcerationReducing imprisonment rates
bail reform · sentencing reform · systemic change · structural change · accountability · oversight · transparency · due process · legal reform · immigration reform
- life valuesfamily time, health, happiness, spirituality, ethics
- civil rightsequal protection, equal rights, Civil Rights Act, right to life, Voting Rights Act
- literary themesheroism, hero's journey, ennui, morals, tragedy
- social themesinequality, prejudice, racism, sexism, feminism
- Catholic social teachingCST, encyclicals, human dignity, subsidiarity, common good
- peacepeace, peaceful, peacefully, peace sign, peace symbol
social justicesocial injustice
Unfair treatment by institutions
systemic oppression · structural inequality · apartheid · discrimination · segregation
social justicerugged individualism
Philosophy of personal independence
meritocracy · personal responsibility · bootstrapping · self-reliance · noblesse oblige
social justicesocial Darwinism
Misapplied natural selection to society
white supremacy · plutocracy · oligarchy · fascism · elitism
social, justice, society, associate, association, sociable, associated, socialism, antisocial