Adapting to Today's World
Today's issues have brought only more awareness to the social injustice present today. The COVID-19 virus has continued to show that individuals are affected disproportionately by the issues we face. In addition, changes in the political climate, even before this year with the pandemic and the surge in the BLM movement, with increasing awareness about issues like climate change and income inequality, have made social justice philanthropy a much higher priority.
Melanie Shakarian explains the goals for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland in the future and the missions they have set ahead of themselves. What these ultimately come down to is one thing; growth. The sad reality is that inequality and social troubles still exist today, despite all of the philanthropic and activism that has been seen throughout the nation. Melanie explains that despite the challenges of today and the issues in society, it is crucial we gain more funding and find ways to connect our nonprofits more to society. There are needs of individuals that are still not being met, there are individuals that still need to be helped.
Social injustice is a fight that we all need to join. In the changing society, there is not an aspect of life that does not involve and depend on the social justice issues of today. There are individuals who lack proper access to education and healtchare simply because they can not afford it. There are individuals who struggle to express themselves and their beliefs due to the Minority religious groups have become marginalized and have begun an even more difficult battle towards regaining resources and support simply based on their beliefs. Social injustice is a real thing, and it is at the root of almost all of the systemic problems in society today. The vitality towards solving these issues and working towards social justice and equality has never been more real. The one thing the challenges today of COVID-19 and the social unrest in society has made clear is that the need for philanthropy in the social justice sector is ever-growing. Despite the difficulties that have arrived in the nation and the world, everything that has seemed to get in the way of progress, increasing the funding for social justice nonprofits is vital, as ultimately the stake of our nation is dependent on it and all other sectors of the philanthropic world is dependent on it.
This semester we have learned the true purpose and role philanthropy serves in our society today, we hope that our book serves as a reflection of this insight and highlights the need for philanthropy despite the challenges that accompany it. The future of our world is ultimately up to us. Let's change it together.
