Injustice Can Be Described Injustice Can Be Described As:As:

Coercively established and maintained:Coercively established and maintained: inequalities, inequalities, discrimination, and discrimination, and dehumanizing, development-inhibiting dehumanizing, development-inhibiting conditions of living (e.g., slavery, serfdom, conditions of living (e.g., slavery, serfdom, and exploitative wage labor; and exploitative wage labor; unemployment, unemployment, poverty, poverty, starvation, andstarvation, and

Injustice ContinuedInjustice Continued homelessness; homelessness; inadequate health care and education), inadequate health care and education), imposed by dominant social groups, imposed by dominant social groups,

classes, and peoples upon dominated classes, and peoples upon dominated and exploited groups, classes and and exploited groups, classes and people” (Gil, 1998, p. 10). people” (Gil, 1998, p. 10).

Evidence of Social Injustice Evidence of Social Injustice

Hate CrimesHate Crimes Racial InequalityRacial Inequality PovertyPoverty Employment and Housing Employment and Housing

DiscriminationDiscrimination Infant MortalityInfant Mortality

Injustice includes: Injustice includes:

Hate crimes – when people are Hate crimes – when people are victimized because of their race, victimized because of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ability, or gender. ability, or gender.

PovertyPoverty DiscriminationDiscrimination Infant MortalityInfant Mortality Racial and Economic InequalityRacial and Economic Inequality

Barriers to Social Justice Barriers to Social Justice PrejudicePrejudice - an attitude that involves - an attitude that involves

judging groups and individuals based judging groups and individuals based on myths and misconceptions.on myths and misconceptions.

DiscriminationDiscrimination - is an action that - is an action that involves treating people differently involves treating people differently based on their membership in a group.based on their membership in a group.

Institutional DiscriminationInstitutional Discrimination - occurs - occurs when discrimination is built into the when discrimination is built into the norms and institutions in society and norms and institutions in society and enforced by those in power. enforced by those in power.

Barriers to Social Justice Barriers to Social Justice OppressionOppression - is systematic and pervasive - is systematic and pervasive

mistreatment of people based on their mistreatment of people based on their membership in a certain group. Oppression membership in a certain group. Oppression includes:includes:

RacismRacism SexismSexism HeterosexismHeterosexism ClassismClassism AbleismAbleism AgeismAgeism Anti-Semitism and other forms of religious-Anti-Semitism and other forms of religious-

based oppressionbased oppression

People who are members of People who are members of mainstream or dominant groups mainstream or dominant groups have certain have certain privilegesprivileges built built into their lives. into their lives.

Can you think of a way that: Can you think of a way that:

People have privilege based on their People have privilege based on their race?race?

Men have privilege based on their Men have privilege based on their sex?sex?

Able-bodied people have privilege Able-bodied people have privilege based on their physical or mental based on their physical or mental ability?ability?

Heterosexuals have privilege based Heterosexuals have privilege based on their sexual orientation?on their sexual orientation?

Explanations of Social Injustice Explanations of Social Injustice

Biological DeterminismBiological Determinism - Social and - Social and economic status is biologically economic status is biologically determined. People achieve a certain determined. People achieve a certain social and economic status based on social and economic status based on innate biological characteristics. innate biological characteristics.

The Socialization ProcessThe Socialization Process - People - People learn from observation. Children do learn from observation. Children do what they see their parents and other what they see their parents and other adults do. adults do.

Explanations of Social InjusticeExplanations of Social Injustice

Psychological PerspectivesPsychological Perspectives - Bias is - Bias is caused by psychological conditions caused by psychological conditions such as fear of the unknown. Also such as fear of the unknown. Also includes scapegoating and projection. includes scapegoating and projection.

Sociological PerspectivesSociological Perspectives - Scarce - Scarce resources and economic insecurity resources and economic insecurity cause conflict between groups. cause conflict between groups. Discrimination and oppression serve Discrimination and oppression serve economic purposes and benefit those economic purposes and benefit those in power. in power.

Models of Intergroup Relations Models of Intergroup Relations

Melting PotMelting Pot

Cultural PluralismCultural Pluralism

SeparatismSeparatism

Overcoming Social Injustice Overcoming Social Injustice

Fourteenth AmendmentFourteenth Amendment - (1868) No - (1868) No state may "deny to any person within state may "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law." the law."

Fifteenth AmendmentFifteenth Amendment - (1870) Gave - (1870) Gave all men, regardless of race or color, all men, regardless of race or color, the right to vote. the right to vote.

Nineteenth AmendmentNineteenth Amendment - (1920) - (1920) Gave women the right to vote. Gave women the right to vote.

Overcoming Social Injustice Overcoming Social Injustice Civil Rights Act of 1964Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Outlaws - Outlaws

discrimination and/or segregation in discrimination and/or segregation in public accommodations and public accommodations and employment on the basis of race, employment on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin color, sex, religion, or national origin and differential treatment of people of and differential treatment of people of color in voter registration. Gave color in voter registration. Gave government enforcement power. government enforcement power.

Civil Rights Act of 1968Civil Rights Act of 1968 - Added - Added protection against discrimination in protection against discrimination in housing. housing.

Overcoming Social Injustice Overcoming Social Injustice Age Discrimination in Employment ActAge Discrimination in Employment Act - -

(1967) Protects employees who are 40 years (1967) Protects employees who are 40 years old or over from unequal treatment at work old or over from unequal treatment at work based on age. Additional laws passed since based on age. Additional laws passed since to offer protection in education and benefits.to offer protection in education and benefits.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 - - Outlaws discrimination against people with Outlaws discrimination against people with disabilities in public accommodations, disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, and public employment, transportation, and public services. Requires "reasonable services. Requires "reasonable accommodation" for people with disabilities accommodation" for people with disabilities in work places and public facilities. in work places and public facilities.

Overcoming Social Injustice Overcoming Social Injustice

Employment Non-Discrimination ActEmployment Non-Discrimination Act - - Not yet passed. Would prohibit Not yet passed. Would prohibit employers from using sexual employers from using sexual orientation as the basis for orientation as the basis for employment decisions such as hiring, employment decisions such as hiring, firing, promotion and compensation. firing, promotion and compensation.

Overcoming Social InjusticeOvercoming Social Injustice

Affirmative ActionAffirmative Action - Designed to - Designed to address past inequities in address past inequities in employment and education based on employment and education based on race and sex. Requires organizations race and sex. Requires organizations to develop plans to diversify their to develop plans to diversify their workforces and student bodies and workforces and student bodies and establish timetables for establish timetables for implementation. implementation.

Social Work RolesSocial Work Roles

Organizing in oppressed Organizing in oppressed communitiescommunities

Advocating for clients’ rightsAdvocating for clients’ rights Facilitating empowermentFacilitating empowerment Teaching ways to change systemsTeaching ways to change systems Supporting clients’ decisions about Supporting clients’ decisions about

what is right for their liveswhat is right for their lives