MyLALA,MyLife

JuanEspinoza
APEnglishLiterature
May20,2016

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TheformerpresidentofSouthAfrica,NelsonMandela,oncesaidthatEducationisthe
mostpowerfulweaponwhichyoucanusetochangetheworld,(brainquote).Overthecourse
ofmanycenturies,manyhavefoughtfortherighttobeeducated,whileothershavebeeneager
tostopspecificpeoplefromhavingit.Manymovementspushingforsocialjusticehavespoken
uptodefendthatimportantweapontheimportantweaponthathastheabilitytohelppeople
succeed.Thougheducationisaverypowerfulweaponthatcaninformpeople,italso
occasionallymisinforms.Educationhastheabilitytobeaverypotentdoubleedgedswordthat
canhurtjustasmanypeopleasitcanhelp.Thereisalsograveinjusticewhenitcomestomoney.
Incomeinequalitybetweenpeoplecanalsosetaveryvisibledividebetweentheeducatedand
uneducated,likewhenstudentsoflowerincomefallbehindcomparedtostudentsthatarewell
offeconomically.Whenthiskindofdichotomyiscrystalclear,thereisaproblem.Education,in
onewayoranother,hasshapedeveryoneslivesandtheirworldviews.
SocialJustice,accordingtoMerriamWebster,isdefinedasastateordoctrineof
egalitarianism,whichisabeliefinhumanequalityespeciallywithrespecttosocial,political,and
economicaffairs(MerriamWebster).Educationisdefinedastheknowledge,skilland
understandingthatapersongainsfromattendingaschool,college,oruniversityandalsohasto
dowithsocialaffairsinsociety(MerriamWebster)SocialJusticehasplentytodowith
education,butiseducationsocialjustice?Toanswerthisquestionrequirestheexaminationof
threemainpoints:howeducationisstillthesightforongoinginequality,socialjustice
movementswillingnesstofightforeducation,andhoweducationcanbeadangerous
doubleedgedsword.Tobegin,
Foralltheprogressinimprovingeducationaloutcomesamong
AfricanAmericanchildren,theachievementgapsbetweenmoreaffluentandlessprivileged

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children
iswiderthanever,
notesSeanReardonoftheCenterforEducationPolicyAnalysisat
Stanford.RacialdisparitiesarestillastainonAmericansociety,buttheyarenolongerthemain
divider.TodaythebiggestthreattotheAmericandreamisclass,(NewYorkTimes,May11).
AccordingtotheNewYorkTimes,menwithjustahighschooldiplomaearnaroundafifthless
thantheydid35yearsagoandonly5%ofAmericanswhoseparentsdidnotfinishhighschool
haveacollegedegree.(CenterforEducationAnalysisatStanfordUniversity)
JaneWaldfogel,aprofessorofsocialworkatColumbiaUniversityconductedastudy
withcolleaguesfromCanadaandBritainandfoundthatchildrenfromlowsocioeconomicstatus
homesarearoundayearbehindthechildrenofcollegegraduatesandeventhebestperforming
fromayoungagethatareoflowsocioeconomicstatusfallbackovertherestoftheirtimein
school.Thechildrenoflowerincomesgenerallysufferfromhigherobesityrates,moresocial
andemotionalissues,andlessopportunityfrominabilitytoaffordingenrichingprogramsfor
theireducation.(NewYorkTimes)
Elevenyearoldsfromthewrongsideofthetracksareaboutonethirdmorelikelyto
haveanoviceteacher,accordingtoProfessorWaldfogelandhercolleagues.Theyaremuch
morelikelytobeheldbackagrade,asurefirewaytostunttheirdevelopment,theresearchers
say,(NewYorkTimes,May11).
Thesesituationsandstudiesshowthatstudentsoflowsocioeconomicstatusstruggledue
tolackofmoney.Withoutthatmoney,studentshavelessofanopportunityathavinganeven
playingfieldwithpeoplewhomakemoremoney.Inthiscase,socialjusticeislackingbecause
educationisimportanttoacquireinordertosucceedintheworld.Eveninthiscase,educationis
onlyapartofsocialjusticebecausesoisincomeequality,whichislackingforthesechildrenof

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lowincome.Childrenofalowersocioeconomicstatushavingthesameopportunitiesasmore
affluentstudentswouldbeasignoffairnessandsocialjustice.Havingafair,goodeducationjust
likeanyoneelsewouldbesocialjustice.
Manysocialjusticemovementshavefoughtovertherighttoabettereducationsuchas
theChicanoWalkoutsthatdemonstratedthroughouttheEastLAarea.Chicanoyouthsusedthe
walkoutstodramatizewhattheyconsideredtheabysmallypooreducationalconditionsaffecting
theirschools,(Rosales,185).TheChicanomovementisanexampleofstudentswantingsocial
justicewithinthecurriculumtheyweretaught.ThewalkoutswereheldtoobtainmoreLatino
teachers,havesmallerclasssizes,betterfacilities,andcurrenttextbooksthatincluded
MexicanAmericanhistory,(swarthmore.edu).Bettereducationwasagoalofvarioussocial
justicemovementsandthateducationdoeshavetheabilitytopromotesocialjustice.
EducationwasalsoabigpartoftheBlackPanthersTenPointPlan.
WeWant
EducationForOurPeopleThatExposesTheTrueNatureOfThisDecadentAmericanSociety.
WeWantEducationThatTeachesUsOurTrueHistoryAndOurRoleInThePresentDay
Society.Webelieveinaneducationalsystemthatwillgivetoourpeopleaknowledgeofself.If
amandoesnothaveknowledgeofhimselfandhispositioninsocietyandtheworld,thenhehas
littlechancetorelatetoanythingelse,(marxists.org).Inthefifthpointoftheirtenpointplan,
theBlackPanthersadvocatedforabettereducationalsystemforpeopleofcolor,inspecific
blackpeople,thatwouldteachhistoryfromtheperspectiveoftheminoritygroupthathasbeen
oppressedandnotfromtheperspectiveofconquerors.Theirplatform,writtenbymembersofthe
party,advocatedforpositivechangeintheircommunitiesaswellasmoreopportunitiesforthe
peopleinthosecommunities.

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Knockingdownbarrierscanleadtosocialjustice.Forexample,theBrownvs.Boardof
EducationSupremeCourtcasethatdecidedthedoctrineofseparatebutequalhasnoplace.
Separateeducationalfacilitiesareinherentlyunequal,(Gates323).Thisdesegregationopened
updoorsformoreprogressinthenationwithregardstosocialjustice.
Education,too,hastheabilitytounshacklepeopleandgivethemthetoolstofightfor
socialjustice.FrederickDouglasssaid,Thatwhichtohimwasagreatevil,tobecarefully
shunned,wastomeagreatgood,andtheargumentwhichhesowarmlyurged,againstmy
learningtoread,onlyservedtoinspiremewithadesireanddeterminationtolearn,(Douglass,
20).Inhiscase,FrederickDouglasspushedhimselftolearntoreadinordertoemancipate
himself.Heusedthefruitsofeducationinordertotellhisstoryandtofurtheropposeinjustice.
Althougheducationcanbeusedtopromotesocialjustice,itisimportanttorecognize
educationsdarkside.
Sometypesofeducationcanbringaboutnegativeimpactsuponsociety.Takefor
examplethePakistanieducationalsystem.AccordingtoChristianScienceMonitor,inthis
governmentapprovedsystem,Pakistanichildrenaretaughthostilitytowardsothersofdifferent
religiousupbringingandareportrayedasinferior,whilethereligionoforthodoxSunniMuslim
isnotchallengedintheschooltaughttextbooks.AccordingtotheCenterofResearchand
SecurityStudiesnearly70percentofPakistanistudentsattendpublicschools,(csmonitor).
Manychildrengotothesekindsofschoolsandlatergrowupindoctrinatedtowardaparticular
ideal.Thepromotionofthistypeofideologyisdeadly,especiallyconsideringthatthosechildren
cangrowuptocarryoutdeadlyattacks.OnMarch27,2016,alittlelessthantwomonthsago,a

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suicidebomberdetonatedabombatGulshaneIqbalParkinLahore,PakistanonEasterSunday,
killingatleast69peopleandinjuring300,accordingtotheNewYorkTimes.Theattackwas
intendedtokillChristians,althoughthemajorityofvictimswereMuslim.Theleadersthat
carriedoutthisattackwenttoschoolsteachingconceptslikethosestatedearlier,(csmonitor).
Violentreligiousfundamentalismposesadangerousthreattoworldpeace.
Moreover,InIsrael,fundamentalistoppositiontoseculareducationhasbecomean
economicaswellasapoliticalproblemtheharedi(ultraOrthodoxIsraeliJews),agrowing
percentageofthepopulationbecauseoftheirhighbirthrate,arealmost
unemployablebecause
theydon'tstudyanythingbutreligioustexts.
Thegovernmentisnowthreateningtocuttheir
educationalsubsidiesiftheydontaddclassesinEnglishandmath...theharedialsohave
problemswithwomen
,(Alternet)

Thistypeofeducationdemonstrateshowcertainteachings
canbecounterproductiveandregressive.Educationcannotalwaysbeconsideredsocialjustice
becauseitsbroadlydefinedparameterscanbemanipulatedtoeithercreateanenvironmentof
grossintoleranceandsuchnarrowfocusastobewithoutapplication.
Toconclude,educationinitselfisnotsocialjusticebecauseitcanbemanipulatedto
teachveryflawedandhazardousideologiesthatshouldnotbetaughtinschoolswhereyoung
mindsareeasilyaffected.Educationhowever,hastheabilitytobringaboutpositivechangesin
societyifwhatisbeingtaughtisobjectiveandifstudentsaretaughttobeopenmindedto
differentopinionsandbeliefsthattheymaynotalreadyshare.Althougheducationinitselfisnot
socialjustice,itdefinitelyhasaconnectiontosocialjusticeandwhenappliedfairlycan
contributetocreatingasociallyjustworld.

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Theteachingsofjustice,fairness,equity,andequalityinsocietyareobviouslyteachings
thatpromotesocialjusticeandthatisaninstancewheneducationcanbesocialjustice,thekind
whichfightsfortheadvancementofsociety.Discourseaboutdifferingopinionsmustbe
promotedbecauseitisakeyaspecttobeingtrulyeducated.Aswasstatedatthebeginning,
educationhasthepotentialtobeapowerfulweaponthatcanhelpasmuchasitcanhurt.
Educationisadoubleedgedswordthatcanmostdefinitelycreatechangeorabsolutelydestroy
it.Theweaponofeducationhastobeprotectedandusedfortheadvancementofmankind,and
notitsdemise.

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WorksCited

Douglass,Frederick.
NarrativeoftheLifeofFrederickDouglass
.NewYork:Dover
Publications,
1995.Print.

"EastLosAngelesStudentsWalkoutforEducationalReform(EastL.A.Blowouts),1968."
Global
NonviolentActionDatabase
.SwarthmoreCollege,n.d.Web.13May2016.

Gates,HenryLouis.
LifeuponTheseShores:LookingatAfricanAmericanHistory,15132008
.
AfricanAmericanHistory,15132008
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Masood,Salman."BlastataCrowdedParkinLahore,Pakistan,KillsDozens."
TheNewYork
Times
.TheNewYorkTimes,27Mar.2016.Web.02May2016.

"NelsonMandelaQuote."
BrainyQuote
.Xplore.Web.12May2016.

Porter,Eduardo."EducationGapBetweenRichandPoorIsGrowingWider."
TheNewYork
Times
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TheNewYorkTimes,22Sept.2015.Web.13May2016.

Rosales,FranciscoA.
Chicano!:TheHistoryoftheMexicanAmericanCivilRightsMovement
.
Houston,TX:ArtePblico,1996.Print.

Takkar,Nafees."InPakistan,aTextbookCaseofRadicalizationinPublicSchools."
The
Christian
ScienceMonitor
.TheChristianScienceMonitor,31Mar.2016.Web.02May2016.

Tax,Meredith."SchoolsTeachingReligiousFundamentalismAreEndangeringCreative
Thinking."
Alternet
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"TheTenPointProgram."
BlackPanther'sTenPointProgram
.N.p.,n.d.Web.13May2016.