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Cristina Gray

DTC 101

22 November 2020

Social Justice Paper

In a world now so driven by technology, it has become a place for individuals to speak up

and speak out about the issues in the world around them. Instagram and Twitter are two of the

most widely used social media platforms used by people of all ages where you can see activism

clearly through posts, ‘tweets’, and what’s currently trending. A prevalent issue that we have

been discussing in class but also seeing all over the media is the BLM movement. The BLM

movement started in​ July 2013 when the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter became popular

after the freeing of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin. With

African-American citizens fighting for non-violent civil disobedience in protest against incidents

of police brutality, the hashtag once again became popular after the death of George Floyd. As

the hashtag rose to popularity on all social platforms, with everything there are always two sides

to the conversation. Through the exploration of looking through Instagram and Twitter, it is clear

that there is some biased opinion as well as two clear perspectives regarding this movement.

By definition, social justice is a concept of fair, just relations between the individual and

society, as measured by the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity, and social

privileges. Social justice to me follows the way of the definition but also goes deeper than that.

Having a just system especially in America can be hard, for both social or later as I'll mention,

racial reasons as well. A just social system is giving equal opportunities attainable by everyone.

The reason why having this type of justice is so important is due to without it, there would be no

effort in trying to close the gap for different groups of people such as people of color,
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immigrants, and women. Even though social justice isn’t followed exactly by definition, lately

individuals have been speaking up and trying to make more of a change in the workplaces and in

everyday settings which is a start for a better world. What can go hand in hand with social justice

is racial justice. Racial justice to me is not given the same opportunities to everyone despite how

they look and not discriminating just based on one's color. Being both African American and

Hispanic in the world we're living in right now can be hard. I feel the uneasiness of seeing people

like me be harmed just based on their looks and have first handly dealt with discrimination in the

workplace. Racial justice has always been an issue in America, but hopefully, just like social

justice, we take a step forward to better both ourselves as individuals and as a country in treating

everyone fairly.

A noticeable correlation between who supported the BLM movement and the

contradicting Blue Lives Matter movement was what political affiliation they identify with. Blue

Lives Matter is the saying that cops should be prosecuted under hate crimes and nothing more

and this belief usually falls under a conservatives viewpoint. Ways that this movement is taking

initiative and ways you can too is by donating to these causes, showing up to protests, signing a

petition, taking to social media, and most recently going out to vote to make sure a change

happens. TimeOut magazine wrote “​If you’re not black, one of the most important things you

can do right now is to learn something about the situation.” and that goes to show that no matter

if you aren't black, you can still make a change. The BLM movement is a step to closing the

police brutality and somewhat make the world a more just place.

As previously stated, social media has played a major role in getting current

real-timeissues and spreading them for awareness. Social media is undoubtedly more favored as

a news source among the younger generations while older generations tend to favor the more
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traditional sources of media for their updates. Getting facts and art and petitions out there online

truly help the cause more than individuals know. It allows an outlet for people to vent their

problems as well as ignite the fire and drive for people to speak out. In “How Black Lives Matter

Uses Social Media to Fight the Power” by WIRED, it says “ I believe that Black Lives Matter

has changed the visceral experience of being black in America.” and that is something that

should be stood by and acknowledged.

It shows that there are two sides to every issue, whether you agree with it or not. In

today’s society, everyone is so quick to voice their opinion without hearing the other side. In a

place now so numb to the tragedies of both sides, the article ‘What Does Seeing Black Men Die

For You?’ explains it further by saying ‘the increased visibility of trauma and death at the hands

of cops isn’t doing as much as it should be. The legacy of our increased exposure to black death

has merely been the deadening of our collective senses.’ which is so true. This class has helped

me learn the true meaning of what BLM stands for and how I as a bi-racial woman being

impacted by this and how to step my foot down into standing up for what is right.
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Citations

Stephen, B. (2020, October 14). How Black Lives Matter Uses Social Media to Fight the Power.

https://www.wired.com/2015/10/how-black-lives-matter-uses-social-media-to-fight-the-pow

er/

Smith, J. (2015, April 13). Videos of Police Killings Are Numbing Us to the Spectacle of Black

Death. ​https://newrepublic.com/article/121527/what-does-seeing-black-men-die-do-you