Oxford Reference defines Social Justice as:

“the objective of creating a fair and equal society in which each individual matters, their rights are recognized and protected, and decisions are made in ways that are fair and honest”

For us, and linking to Sorcha’s previous blog, Social Justice is not an extra. It is written in our constitution. It is one of our working pillars alongside Health & Wellbeing and Creativity. It is a cornerstone that supports all our activity, intentions, and conversations; the drive drawing from the lived experience of our staff, Board, volunteers, and the people we work with.

A woman is sitting in a cart being pulled by a black horse. She is smiling and wearing a beige coloured headdress with a bird in it and a gold scarf. A small group of children are following behind the cart and smiling. — An image from Tentacular taken by Laura Mumby

Most of us are from working-class backgrounds and other minority groups who encountered the arts later in life, by chance. It was not an interest considered in our immediate circle on a regular basis, perhaps due to the added costs of extra-curricular activities, or to the fact that it was somewhat alien to us all. As we experienced its healing, inspiring, aspirational, deeply emotional and joyous powers, we individually and secretly committed to spreading the word and reaching out to others in similar circumstances. And the rest was down to fate or luck, as a team becoming together to pursue this shared goal.

Working in the creative industries has provided us with so many instances where introducing the arts to others have had such a visible and immediate positive impact that naming them here would sound like science fiction, yet it is the very engine that keeps us going, forward, somewhere, together…

It is the intersection of Social Justice with the Arts that provides that sacred space, the magic, the Va-Va-Voom that opens doors, connects, and supports us as we explore and improve conditions for a fairer, more equal, and improved society. And we do it through play, laughter, tears, and of course dance, moving to those inaudible protest tunes made through the times. Can you hear them?

A small group of adults and children are in a grass field. They are laughing and smiling to each other. Some are clapping their hands. Two children are dancing together. One of the adults is wearing a bright pink floral headdress. — An image from Tentacular taken by Laura Mumby

What Social Justice Means To Us