Social justice is the realization of my Latina identity. Being raised in a Mexican culture, I was expected to follow typical gender roles. At a young age I had to learn how to clean, cook, and mother young children. However, as I’ve grown older I’ve realized that I can still cherish my culture without believing in the restrictive stereotypes the culture sometimes perpetuates. I do not have to depend on a male for my identity. I also recognize the necessity of being educated and becoming a role model as an independent Mexican woman. My strong beliefs come from personal experiences with injustice. Injustices such as when someone is being violated or degraded based on his or her race, gender, ethnic, culture, class, orientation, or religion. Social justice means knowing that my gay friends are accepted as human beings rather than disorders. Social justice means advocating for the rights of my parents as human beings and not as aliens. Social justice means knowing that my baby brother can run in his backyard without being exposed to power plant pollutants. Social justice means everyone having the resources to stay in good health mentally and financially. Social justice is action that follows the epiphany moment.
Thanks to my teachers of Social Justice High School I’ve been able to critically think beyond the immediate needs of my community and consider long-term substantial change. I decided to do my Fire project on child abuse because growing up I saw my aunt go through mental illnesses, which caused her to physically abuse my cousins. If my aunt had the resources to see a therapist my aunt would have been able to control her disorders. If my aunt had the resources my cousins would not have been taken away into protective custody. My family struggles have encouraged me to work in this topic for my fire project.