Social Justice Personal Statement Examples

The author, Audra Simpson, address the struggles of the Mohawk indigenous peoples in southwestern Quebec. She also tackles the indigenous peoples’ situation in maintaining political sovereignty and territorial legitimacy. According to Simpson, the Mohawks belong to the Iroquois Confederacy, as many of them refuse to submit to neither the American nor the Canadian sovereignty because they insist that they were in the lands first long before the colonials came to settle down in their lands.

This rhetorical analysis will define the ethos and pathos in “Allowing the Mind to Wander” by Carole Giangrande. The importance of this article rests on an emotional plea, which provides the reader with a call for justice to the plight of indigenous people in Canadian society. This rhetorical device is part of the pathos of Giangrande’s (1990) article that evokes sadness and pity in the way that white Canadian society has alienated and marginalized the First Peoples. More so, the ethos of the article reveals the problem of an apathetic society that has lost the spirit of the 1960s Civil Rights era, which is desperately needed in the 21st century. The loss of cultural respect for the First Peoples reveals the problem of a white hegemonic society as part of a modern trend in political activism. Giangrande (1990) presents these rhetorical devices to show the loss of moral and civic activism to defend the indigenous peoples of Canada. In essence, this rhetorical analysis will define the importance of pathos and ethos in “Allowing the Mind to Wander” by Carole Giangrande.

Their struggle is soon brought to court where they requested to be considered citizens of the Nisga’a nation, rather than being considered citizens of Canada. Eventually, a treaty is signed between them and the federal government so the Nisga’a people can claim sovereignty over their ancestral homeland, while still being confined within the nation-state. This article helps answer the question of this essay by showing the effects of globalization through colonization on aboriginal people’s identities. Since their land had been under colonization, the Nisga’a found it absolutely necessary to fight for their national identity to claim autonomy from the colonizers. By having the right to call themselves Nisga’a citizens instead of Canadian citizens, their national identities have immensely strengthened due to oppression (Blackburn 2009).

Gabriel, along with other speakers at the march, highlighted Canada’s colonial past for how indigenous people have gotten trapped in this cycle of oppression. Colonization involves the process of “othering”; that is, centering Eurocentric ideas and people at the top of the hierarchy. From the inception of Canada, ingenious women were “othered” and viewed as an extension of the land, to be colonized, dehumanized, and fetishized by the colonizers (Alexander M.J. et all, 39; Native Women’s Association, “Root Cause” 3). This attitude has been passed down for generations and compacted with the lasting effects of the 60s scoop and residential schools have left indigenous communities, especially women, vulnerable by disrupting their values, roles, and traditions (Native Women’s Association, “Root Cause”

When looking at activism and social change within indigenous communities I think many non-indigenous individuals often forget what the most important aspect is that these indigenous people are fighting for. Within educational institutions we learn about the ways that indigenous communities are oppressed and marginalized and have been for many years. However, In Eve Tuck and Wayne Yang’s article, Decolonization is not a metaphor they take a very different approach in order to help the reader recognize that decolonization does not take place without being able to give indigenous individuals their land back. As we are often taught that decolonization can refer to social justice means it is usually unclear as to the ways in which this process begins. Decolonization is not merely educating awareness but having

Second Slide: The ways in which Indigenous Women tried to resist, but were ultimately victims of colonization, and how heteropatriarchy has affected them.

It has been the goal of the Natives to regain sovereignty since it was stripped from them in the sixteenth century. Pushed to the margins in all aspects of life from negligible political relevance in Ottawa to the isolation they continue to experience on the remote reserves, the Aboriginal people have had their humanity sapped continuously out of them, yet have never given up hope. The minute advances in the last several decades? stand in stark contrast to repression experienced for centuries. Weathering an intensely exploitive government, Aboriginals have endured unimaginable repression. It was not until the passage of the Constitution Act, specifically the Charter of Rights and

People tend to forget that the Indigenous peoples traditions and cultures run much deeper then many think. As we have learned from the changes that have occurred after colonization and the displacement of these individuals these are people with strong self-determination. Although many people view them as sad, broken and dying there is many reasons why these people still exist today. As explained by Stephen Cornell in “American Indian Self-Determination”, only about 1.5 percent (4.7 million AI/AN people) of the total population today is made up of American Indian and Alaska Natives (Cornell, p.3). So we ask ourselves what must a population so small do to gain recognition and credibility as people of change and intelligence?

The concept of indigenous sovereignty is the most debated and contested subject among Indigenous academicians and politicians. To further expand the concept and understand indigenous sovereignty, Aileen brought a new insight and perspectives through the lenses of sociological thought. The Judicio-political is a commonly used approach by many theorists on indigenous sovereignty. In this respect, the author sought to challenge the concept of indigenous sovereignty situated within the Judicio-political framework and the overall epistemological foundation upon which it is built.

(Berger 214) His commitment to engaging in genuine discussion with indigenous communities, and to providing them with a platform to have their voices heard by Southern Canada is clearly evident. For example, regarding the notion of land he states that “the native people's relationship to the land is so different from that of the dominant culture that only through their words can we comprehend it.” (137) Berger's approach, which is largely focused on dialogue, demonstrates his treatment of the natives as active participants in his research with meaningful contributions. Furthermore, his approach is results-driven, as his recommendations follow from consideration of their potential consequences. This is similar to the “emancipatory research” Smith describes, which aims to empower communities and support their betterment.

The articles assigned this week address the resistance and protest of indigenous people against the colonizer. The articles tackled the actions taken by a series of protest ands resistant movement named, “Idle No more.” Upon the foundation of the movement by the Aboriginal peoples in Canada, it was devoted to organizing political actions worldwide. For example, Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence played a key role by entering long weeks of hunger, which resulted in many sympathizers and people protesting in different cities around the world such as Los Angeles, London, Minneapolis, Ontario, and New York.

During my time as an undergraduate, I majored in philosophy but intentionally selected courses that would further my knowledge on my range of interests in social justice and law. As I started to engage and learn about theories of intersectionality, social and structural inequalities and constructs, I grew angry at the world we have created for ourselves to live in. I understood that the injustices imposed on people at the dangerous intersections of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, and ability are frequent and widespread. The oppressive forces that have allowed for the creation of such injustices have not only routinely excluded and silenced the voices of many groups of people, but have destroyed countless lives.

Take, for example, the research conducted by Shannon Speed in Chiapas and Monique Skidmore in Burma (Sanford, V. 2006). Both women were in complicated situations where they were privy to the plight of their suffering research subjects, yet inhibited by the watchful eye of a dominating power that would not allow them to completely overstep their bounds. Both researchers are women, mothers and were foreigners in their research community, but would not allow that to deter them from supporting human rights work and attempting to better the lives or at least create awareness of the suffering of the sociocultural group they studied (Sanford, V. 2006). Anthropological activism can aid in bringing about integral political, economic and social change. Attempting to be objective in essence equates to supporting the status quo (Sanford, V. 2006) and as human beings with an interest in humanity, we cannot sit by idly as inequality grows and horrendous occurrences

Each individual makes up the society as it is, and various characteristics and beliefs makes up an individual. Although, individual lives together with a variety of personal ideologies, emotions, cultures, and rituals, they all differentiate one person from the other making up one’s own identity. This identity makes up who one is inside and out, their behaviour, actions, and words comes from their own practices and values. However, the profound history of Indigenous people raises question in the present about their identities. Who are they really? Do we as the non-native people judge them from the outside or the inside? Regardless of whether the society or the government were involved in their lives, they faced discrimination in every

What is social justice and how does it relate to liberation theology? How do sin, love, grace, and human freedom affect social justice? What restricts freedom and social justice? And how does all of this play a role in the Kingdom of God?