Episode #60 Fight For Justice

Five Problems

• We will not be able to wrestle with the deeper issues of humanity if we are not willing first to slow down.
• Awareness of incidents of injustice can be especially triggering for those who have experienced injustice themselves.
• We cannot dismantle racism without first asking the question, “How did we get here?”
• Merely valuing justice is not the same as actually fighting for justice.
• Perhaps the most exhausting part of fighting for justice is facing those who claim, “It’s not as bad as you say it is.”

Four Principles

• As human beings, we all have immeasurable value irrespective of any aspect of our identities.
• Fighting for justice requires purposeful and persistent action.
• We all have a unique role in this fight for justice; there is not only one way to fight.
• It is difficult to opt out of the fight for justice when it becomes less about concepts and more about community, when it becomes less about principles and more about people.

Three Practices

• In order to empathize with those experiencing injustice, ask the question, “How would I feel if that was me?”
• Learn about the history of injustice in your country that was intentionally left out of the history books.
• Educate yourself rather than expecting oppressed people to take responsibility for your education.

Two Perspectives

• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• “The function of freedom is to free someone else.” – Toni Morrison

One Paradigm: The Five Fs of Advocacy

• Fighting
• Friendships
• Focus
• Finances
• Fortitude