Pursuing Social Justice

By Leymah R. Gbowee

Today, February 20th, is World Social Justice Day—declared by the UN General Assembly on November 26th, 2007.

Many injustices still plague our world. Poverty amid surplus, religious intolerance, racism, gendered discrimination, and many more. The need for change cannot be overstated. In many communities across the globe, people are crying out for a transformation from the current world order.

Today, good appears as evil, and evil is celebrated as good. There seems to be no room for dialogue. People shout at and insult each other without any understanding of what the other’s issues are. Truth is nowhere to be found in many of these conversations. Frankly, I could go on listing our world’s present shortcomings. However, that may do little to encourage improvement or inspire hope.

Therefore, the question remains, “Do we turn away and give up in our quest for justice, peace, truth, and a better world?”

The answer for me is a resounding NO! We must recognize that until we challenge our world’s problems, we will continue to live in fear, lack, and anger.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one good thing every day that scares you.” While it is essential to do one good thing every day, our current global reality also calls us to “Do one good thing every day that everyone is scared to do.”

Many people are scared to speak up, step out and act out; our world will never be whole if we fail to stand up for what is just and equitable.

#WorldDayOfSocialJustice

• Gbowee is 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate; a Liberian Peace Activist, Trained Social Worker and Women’s Rights Advocate. She is the Founder and current President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa (GPFA). She currently serves as the Executive Director of Gender, Law and
  Transformative Peace Initiative of the City of New York (CUNY) School of Law,
  U.S.A. She is the former Executive Director of the Women, Peace and Security
  Program at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York, USA. She is the
  Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the Women Peace and Security
  Network Africa (WIPSEN-A) and a Founding Member and former Liberia
  Coordinator of Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET). 

Mrs. Leymah R. Gbowee