Plans for achieving social justice can succeed only when those affected give their approval.

Plans for achieving social justice can succeed only when those affected give their approval.

10:16 to 10:46

Throughout the course of human civilization, there has been the concept of a social ladder where people are segregated into different classes or categories. From Ancient Egypt to the Indus River civilization, social division has been a prominent issue. Social class can be viewed as a good option or detrimental because sometimes people can be at a disadvantage of being in a lower social class. Unfortunately, the use of social class a tool for discrimination has become very prominent in today’s society.

Firstly, consider the ramifications of when achieving social justice is necessary and if affected people are needed. Since the start of the 19^th century the concept of racial discrimination has been of hot debate in many communities in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Social justice is very important to consider because beginning in the 1900s, many white citizens felt the need to segregate their colored counterparts just because of their color and put colored individuals at a disadvantage. A prime example of this is the US struggle in the Civil Rights movement. Many blacks and other minorities were suffering daily cases of discrimination. These instances include, separate public restrooms, theaters, shopping malls, bus seats, schools and even separate churches. After so many years of this discrimination came the time for change under two individuals, Ms. Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ms. Rosa Parks, was going on a daily errand and boarded a Montgomery bus but she was not aware of the dangers that anticipated her. Shortly after, Ms. Parks was asked to give up her seat in place for a white man, but she refused. As a result she was arrested for civil disobedience of the segregation rules which sparked widespread protests and pandemonium in many parts of the South from many other citizens who had similar daily experiences. Dr. King applauded Rosa Parks act of defiance as a turning point in the struggle for Civil Rights and encouraged fellow African Americans to continue to do civil disobedience to get their equal rights in US society. The Montgomery bus boycott lasted for several weeks until finally the government agreed into the demands of those affected and removed the sanction of separate seats. Similarly, over time many of the other public facilities were allowing people of color in, due to the carefully planned out acts for social justice under MLK and Rosa Parks.

Likewise, social justice was an issue in South Africa and India. In both cases blacks and Indians were treated very poorly in society especially in the white extremist regions. Similar to the US Civil Rights movement citizens in South Africa and India had to face segregation in a different form. Although segregation of public facilities was present, further acts of excessive taxes and fines for colored people were causing widespread unrest. The Ubuntu laws in South Africa, had specific curfew rules that prevented blacks and Indians from roaming the streets after specific times. Also, in India many people had to pay taxes for many commodities that were achieved through hard Indian labor. Soon under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, a non-violence movement began in an effort to end the discrimination. A prime example of disobedience is the Salt March of 1929 where, Gandhi and his followers went to the Indian Ocean and evaporated their own salt from ocean waters in response to the unfair salt tax by the Brtitish Viceroy Lord Irwin. Another instance is the, order of Gandhi to burn all foreign made goods and encourage domestic manufacturing in an effort to prevent paying taxes to the British.

In all, both the US Civil Rights movement and the fight for freedoms in India and South Africa were only successful because people that were affected spoke up and took action. Due to this widespread approval, was social justice approved.