There are many ways that social workers can promote legal justice. They can communicate with policymakers. They can collaborate with and form interest groups that can collectively bargain for the rights of marginalized populations. They can encourage marginalized populations to vote during elections. Social workers could also obtain a degree in law so they could understand the nuances of federal and state laws. In this way, they can advocate for marginalized populations within the confines of the law. They can also help their clients understand the current laws. Another benefit of this decision is that social workers could also understand how current laws need to change in order to give marginalized populations more freedoms.
Social workers also have an obligation to promote social justice in their communities. There are multiple ways that this can be done. Social workers can organize community cultural celebrations to increase the pluralistic feeling in their community. They can also work with community administration organizations to develop resource groups and institutions to help marginalized populations. Another way to address societal social injustices is to encourage the majority population to change their discriminatory and oppressive actions.
The most important aspects of social justice according to the National Association of Social Workers:
- voting rights
- criminal justice
- environmental justice
- immigration
- economic justice
- health care justice
- educational access
- employment and occupational issues
Lesson Summary
Social work is an important occupation built on solving the problems of marginalized populations and advocating for them in multiple ways. Social work is connected to both legal and social justice. Social work is connected to legal justice because many of the societal problems of marginalized populations stem from codified opinions and preferences of majority populations. In terms of social justice, many issues of marginalized populations are also due to prejudices and discrimination against the majority population. Social workers promote legal justice through communicating with policymakers, obtaining law degrees, and associating themselves with interest groups. They also promote social justice in multiple ways. They encourage celebration of diversity in the community and can work with community leaders to develop resource programs and institutions for marginalized populations. All of this work is done to change the laws and norms of the community to make it a just place for all citizens.
