Social Change in America

Social Change in America

Introduction

Social justice activism involves individual or group action that is intended to achieve economic, environmental, political, or social change. There are two primary beliefs that relate to and support social justice activism. The first is that some groups suffer disadvantages as a consequence of their gender, race, class, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, language, age, nationality, or religion. The second belief is that individuals or groups can be agents of change and can challenge or disrupt barriers that deny equitable opportunities and circumstances for all to thrive and achieve in a world free from oppression (Seidman, 2009).

Feminism is rooted in women's social justice activism, as women have been integral to social justice movements throughout history and around the globe. They have campaigned for the legal rights of women, while also promoting sexuality and reproductive freedoms. Furthermore, 21st-century feminist activism has focused on economic, professional, and educational equity, including women's rights to achieve political power at all levels (Glickman, 2009).

Discussion

Middle-class white women from Western Europe and North America led early feminist movements, which primarily focused on gender equity for white women. This focal point created enough tensions between both white women and black women that it catalyzed the development of black feminism.

Black feminism recognizes that gender, race, and class oppression are inextricably linked. Women's movements that endeavor to challenge or disrupt gender and/or class oppression yet ignore race can end up discriminating through racial bias. Be that as it may, feminist social justice activism in the 21st century not only has focused on the issues that appear to limit or oppress white women; it also has concentrated on being inclusive of other marginalized identities, including race, class, gender, and ethnic backgrounds (Leafgren et al., 2007).

Moreover, in the 21st century, activists of marginalized identities outside Western Europe and North America, including former European colonies in Africa, the Caribbean, southeast Asia, and parts of Latin America, have participated increasingly in women's social justice activism. Additionally, women around the globe have formed cross-racial partnerships that move beyond racial and ethnic barriers to accommodate intersections of collective identities that foster resistance to patriarchal forms of power and domination.

For example, STITCH is a network of U.S. women working with Central American women to advocate for fair wages and just treatment in the workplace in Central America. Likewise, Women for Women International is a global women's movement that works toward eliminating gender inequities and economic, political, and social injustice (Seidman, 2009).

On March 8, 2010, the centennial anniversary of International Women's Day, Women for Women International sponsored a campaign, Join Me on the Bridge, where thousands of women around the globe stood united in an unprecedented manner to honor the resilience of women survivors of war, genocide, massive rape and torture, and displacement. Together, women across the globe connected banners of fabric on which they painted their visions for a peaceful, prosperous future, free from war.

Consciousness-Raising Activism

Social justice activists characteristically use a repertoire of protest strategies to expose and resist ...