Social injustice: past and present

As we discussed in class, justice is the inclusive process of correcting past wrongs and regaining rights for humanity so that all people have equitable access to resources and opportunities. Spatial justice, then, includes the ideas of mobility, spatial power, and spatial links.

Throughout history, we have seen institutions disregard this concept of spatial justice, consistently telling people where they can be, as well as who. According to Bailey, Lobenstine, and Nagel (n.d.), “any and every marginalized group has had space itself used as part of the terrain through which they experience injustice in their day to day lives”. For example, in 1939, Nazi Germany started moving Jews into ghettos. In these ghettos, Jews were caged in like animals: surrounded by barbed wire fences, living in filth, and starved to death (Glazer, n.d.).

The way in which the Hitler regime expected these people to live labeled them as inferior, unworthy of mainstream society. Just as people have been forced into places, they have been coerced out. Before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in ‘92, the Native American people owned this land. That, of course, meant nothing to the white men who came and not only stole their land but murdered the Native Americans. Despite the fact that we discuss the importance of equity, especially in regard to spatial justice, we are still lacking.

I see these same problems back in my hometown. The town I grew up in is severely lacking in diversity, yet we still have segregations in my community depending on class and race. On the west side of town, sprinkled across multiple neighborhoods all rightfully named “The Sanctuary”, you will find the elite. However, just a 15-minute drive east into the center of town is Perrysburg Heights. The Heights is the poorest neighboorhood in the town, and it’s residents make up a majority of Perrysburg’s Latino demographic. Another 10-minute drive east and you will see the stereotypical American suburb in the historic district of town, full of middle-class white families with a minivan parked in the driveway. The families that live in these distinct areas all seemingly fit into their roles or the roles that society has assigned them. Across time and place institutions continuously categorize and assign people into places and statuses. So, my question is, is spatial justice simply an idea or is it actively happening? There is still so much work to be done to achieve the equity that we so wish for, and I hope that for our sake and those of future generations that we get there.

Sources

Bailey, K., Lobenstine, L., Nagel, K. (n.d.). Spatial justice: a frame for reclaiming our rights to be, thrive, express, and connect. Design Studio for Social Intervention . Retrieved from

https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/5c1270dbb5a74/

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Glazer, S. (n.d.). Ghettos under the Nazis [Webpage]. Retrieved from

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ghettos-under-the-nazis/

(Emilee Kerr)