Career Opportunities in Social Justice

Social justice refers to the overall fairness of a society and the manner in which it divides its rewards and burdens upon groups of people. A government, for example, is generally charged with maintaining the welfare of all of its citizens; however, welfare is often not equal amongst all groups within society. Working with marginalized groups, social justice agents or advocates are concerned with bringing equality within society. For example, social justice work may include building a bridge to give a certain community better access to the rest of the country or ensuring that a business sector’s hiring practices include considerations for candidates among all ethnic, age, and socio-economic classes.

Social justice carries two important dimensions. First, it consists of citizens exercising self-government by inspiring, working with, and organizing others to accomplish together common goals without the aid of government. Second, social justice measures progress and success not in an individual, but rather with respect to an entire community, city, state, or nation. One key to social justice is that it is carried out among groups of people rather than among individuals.

Because many of the causes in social justice are carried out by nonprofit organizations, the "Nonprofit Management" Career Guide has relevant information on Career Paths and Entry Salaries. The "Human Rights" Career Guide is another useful resource. In both guides, you will also find applicable information about expected salaries and qualifications for entering the field.

Social Justice Careers

Social justice careers are found primarily in the nonprofit and government sectors among non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations (IOs), think tanks, religious institutions, law firms and even law schools.

Social Justice Organizations are perhaps best organized according to the issue(s) they are concerned with. The list below categorizes organizations that do social justice work according to issue. It is by no means exhaustive. Note also that because some organizations cover more than one issue, or advocate for the rights of more than one group, they appear as duplicates in the various sections.

Organizations by Issue

Aging

Children, Youth, and Family

Civil Liberties & Individual Rights

Community Development

Disease and Disability

Education

Environment and Agriculture

Homelessness

Indigenous Peoples

Labor

Non-violence

·         American Friends Service Committee, www.afsc.org/
·         Amnesty International USA, www.amnesty.org/
·         Institute for Policy Studies, www.ips-dc.org/
·         PEACE POWER!, www.bfsr.org/PEACEPOWER.html
·         Peacenet, www.igc.org/index.html
·         Prison Activist Resource Center, www.prisonactivist.org/
·         Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org/
·         States United to Prevent Gun Violence, www.supgv.org/
·         The Nonviolence Web, www.nonviolence.org/
·         Violence Policy Center; www.vpc.org/

Other

Poverty

Welfare

Women

Source: Many of the above social justice and human rights organizations were found through "Behaviorists for Social Responsibility," a special interest group focused on applying the science of behavior and cultural analysis to social issues and particularly social justice and human rights: www.bfsr.org/meta.html.

Additional Resources on Social Justice

Business and Professional People for the Public Interest
Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), one of the nation's foremost public interest law and policy centers, has been at the front lines of Chicago's most pressing social justice issues for over thirty years. Dedicated to equal justice and to enhancing the quality and equity of life for all people living in the Chicago region, BPI's staff of lawyers and policy specialists uses a variety of approaches, including litigation, research, advocacy, community organizing, and collaboration.

CorpWatch
CorpWatch provides indispensable resources and news about globalization and justice struggles around the world. An online issue library includes topics such as biotechnology, Globalization 101, grassroots globalization, sweatshops, the WTO and the IMF/World Bank. A similarly valuable but unrelated site is Corporate Watch.

The Independent Media Center
This is considered the CNN of the global social justice movement. The Center acts as a clearinghouse of information and provides up-to-the minute reports, photos, audio, and video footage of global social justice struggles through its website. Launched during the Seattle WTO protests of late 1999, Indymedia is a fascinating, colorful site.

Institute for Global Communications (IGC)
"The mission of IGC is to advance the work of progressive organizations and individuals for peace, justice, economic opportunity, human rights, democracy and environmental sustainability through strategic use of online technologies." IGC is an outstanding resource, with a fabulous search engine that is linked to social justice networks of all kinds.

International Forum on Globalization
Begun as an alliance of over 60 scholars, activists and writers, the IFG has sponsored important conferences to evaluate the social and environmental impact of globalization. They have published numerous booklets. Their website features worthwhile resources on the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, among others.

Seton Hall Law School Center for Social Justice
The Seton Hall Law School Center for Social Justice is both a "for-credit" and pro-bono clinical program that seeks to allow students to engage in a legal apprenticeship, representing real-life clients in cases with real-life outcomes. It serves law students in much the same way that a residency program helps develop medical students into physicians. Under the supervision of professors, students have the opportunity to practice in all facets of actual litigation.

50 Years Is Enough
A coalition of over 200 grassroots, faith-based, policy, women's, social—and economic-justice, youth, solidarity, labor, and development organizations dedicated to the profound transformation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Its website features provide classroom-ready fact sheets about globalization issues, especially about the consequences of the Third World debt crisis.

Publications

·         A Guide to Careers in Community Development, Paul C. Brophy and Alice Shabecoff (2001), available in CAS Library.
·         Advocacy for Social Justice: A Global Action and Reflection Guide, David Cohen, Rosa de la Vega, and Gabrielle Watson (2001), see overview of contents at www.kpbooks.com/details.asp?title=Advocacy+for+Social+Justice.
 ·         Become a Leader for Social Justice, Advocacy Institute (2001), text found in pdf format at www.advocacy.org/publications/pdf/becomealeader.pdf.
 ·         Careers for Dreamers and Doers, Lilly Cohen and Dennis R. Young (1989), available in CAS Library.
 ·         How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas, Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zahara Heckscher (2002) Available in CAS Library.
 ·         Jobs and Careers with Nonprofit Organizations: Profitable Opportunities with NonProfits, Ron and Caryl Krannich, Ph.D.s (1999), available in CAS Library.
 ·         Working for Change: Making a Career in International Public Service, Derick W. Brinkerhoff and Jennifer M. Brinkerhoff (2005), available in CAS Library.

 Edited for the use of Maxwell graduate students and alumni by the staff of the Office of Career and Alumni Services. Written by Career Directors from the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs

This page current as of: April 24, 2008