For me, social and economic justice are indivisible. [View all]

[cali]

Social justice at its roots is about human dignity. Poverty strips away that dignity. Poor people are treated with contempt and even hatred in our society. The stress of poverty is as great as the stress of being discriminated against because of gender identity, race or or sexual orientation. In fact, the stress of poverty literally has a negative impact on brain function.

Are good schools and the opportunity to get a good education a social issue or an economic issue? That's easy, right? The answer is both.

African Americans have a shorter life expectancy than do whites, and that can be attributed not only to lack of access to medical care, but the lack of research. Again, it's both an economic and social justice issue.

Even marriage equality is both. Marriage, as has been pointed out by organization that have been fighting for marriage equality, offers economic benefits.

In some areas, we've made real progress regarding social justice. In others, we're not doing so well, but when it comes to poverty and particularly to the issue of children living in poverty, we've regressed terribly over the past quarter century.

Exploiting the slight differences between economic and social justice serves no one well. The liberal/progressive community should support both economic and social justice. You can have all the civil rights in the world, but without access to food, without a roof over your head or access to a decent education, or access to medical care, a child doesn't stand a chance. And economic security without rights isn't enough.

This may be the most unnecessary fight ever seen at DU. Economic and Social Justice are two simply two sides of the same coin. If, at this time, people like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are focusing so sharply on economic imbalance, it's because we're at a dangerous, pivotal moment in history; one in which the economic ground is crumbling beneath the feet of tens of millions. If the trajectory isn't altered, the future is bleak. Our current course is unsustainable. That focus doesn't mean that social justice and civil rights aren't as important- the upcoming SCOTUS case on voting districts, the up and coming SCOTUS case on marriage equality, serve to emphasize how vitally important it is to keep fighting for social justice
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We should stand together on both and not get caught up in petty argument over which is more important.