Social Justice

Social Justice

"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine."

                                                                                         -Ernesto Guevara

    Chicago is a very diverse city, filled with people of different cultures and backgrounds yet it is, in my opinion, still a very segregated city. People of different ethnicities come to this city and find themselves settling into areas that they culturally identify with. It is sensible to want to be near others who share your culture, language, and religion, especially if one comes here speaking not a word of English.Thus, here in Chicago, we have maybe unknowingly segregated ourselves into areas by ethnicity, resulting in areas such as the Humbolt Park area, which is predominately Puerto Rican, Chinatown, which is predominately Chinese, and Little Italy, which is predominately Italian. While some of these areas do thrive economically, some of these areas struggle economically and socially; these areas are areas that consists predominately of minority races. 

    There can be a stark difference in appearance of a neighborhood from one neighborhood to the next. Take the Howard neighborhood for instance. The neighborhood consists of mainly large apartment buildings and small corner stores or family owned restaurants and is predominately consists of black population. Teens crowd the streets of the neighborhood and crime is an issue. However, just past Howard, heading North is the neighborhood of Evanston. The Evanston area consists of large single family homes, small businesses, large corporation type business chains, "chic" boutiques and specialty stores, and consists of a largely white population. The area is calm and crime is a rarity. Just the comparison of two neighborhoods that sit alongside each other brings to light the need for social justice. The disparity between the two neighborhoods is shocking. The opportunities for residents of the Howard area of Roger's Park are lacking while it seems just across the bend those who are not of color have more opportunity. 

    A trip to both areas does arises some indignation from the injustice that lies in neighborhoods like Roger's Park, that is why I chose the quote above and the issue of social justice will always be close to my heart as someone who has face injustice herself. Social justice will always play a role in my life and the way I lead others. I never want another to feel unworthy of opportunity or be judged based on how they appear. Therefore, I feel as if applying social justice to leadership only adds to my leadership skills, making me perhaps more approachable and more encouraging than some. 
    Attending the Servant Leadership workshop with Dr. Green opened my eyes to the true meaning of servant leadership. Coming in not knowing much about servant leadership, I walked away from the workshop more knowledgeable than before. The following video touches on some of the things we discussed at the workshop:

   After becoming more knowledgeable on servant leadership, I realized that some of the characteristics associated with servant leadership are already associated into who I am as a person. I would consider myself to be a good listener, empathizer, and healer. However, I do want to further develop more servant leader characteristics, especially commitment to the growth of people, foresight,  and conceptualization. While, I do feel like I have begun developing these aspects of my character, I would enjoy continuing to develop these aspects of myself because they are truly important in leadership. 

   I am very uncertain when it comes to predicting my future. I know that where ever I end up and what ever job I hold, I know that I would not be fulfilled if I were not able to lead others towards change and develop others.