By Travis Klavohn, Co-founder and Executive Leader
According to Merriam-Webster, the 2018 word of the year was “justice.” The term owes its preeminence to many factors such as initiatives for criminal justice reform and the social justice movement.
Many Americans, including Democrats, are disturbed by the image of a socialist society which offers empty promises of social justice at the expense of civil liberties. Yet, in the absence of alternative solutions such extreme views flourish.
It is, therefore, wise and advantageous for Republicans to understand the causes of injustice and offer solutions which are consistent with values of civil liberty and limited government.
Some threats to justice are documented. For instance, it is a fact that Black and Hispanic males are suspended from public schools for minor offenses at a rate disproportionately higher than other demographic groups. The result is lower graduation rates and higher probability of incarceration as adults.
Furthermore, it has long been documented that incarceration for non-violent possession of Marijuana is significantly higher among Blacks. Those are tragic outcomes despite possession charges being virtually equal among Whites and Blacks.
Perhaps most egregious threat to justice was documented by a 2017 study by the Guttmacher Institute. That study found the practice of abortion was 2.7 times higher among black mothers than white mothers. Racism and discrimination were identified as two causal factors.
Other threats to justice remain obscured by cultural and ethnic barriers among citizens. As a result, problems which arise in one community are not necessarily known to another.
Republicans cannot solve problems they do not understand. Therefore, the challenge of building a just society comes down to listening.
Metro Atlanta Republicans must understand the perceptions of diverse communities as well as offer real solutions which promote and protect justice and civil liberties equally for all citizens.