Compassion: The Root of Social Justice
by Alexandra Hood, CAC II
If there is one thing I can say about being a Master of Social Work student, it would be that the amount of introspection one engages in is not to be underestimated. Social work students are tasked with reflecting on our beliefs, emotions, and vulnerabilities in a way that surpasses any form of therapy, late night vent session, or self-help book that I have ever engaged with. This unavoidable push for reflection has allowed me to develop a strong sense of what my core values are and how I continue to be an advocate for marginalized communities while also protecting my own well-being and longevity in the field.
Through self-reflection, conversations with my professors and peers, and the content of my program, I have settled at the conclusion that compassion is the underlying tone of the core values of social work and is, in my opinion, the most essential aspect of being a social worker. Compassion, as defined by Merriam Webster (2021), is the “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” The social work profession focuses its actions on social justice, with the desire to advanced vulnerable populations through lasting systemic change. To me, compassion is at the root of social justice.
I reached the conclusion that compassion is the root of social justice when my personal and professional worlds collided. A client had acted in a criminal way toward me, putting the client at risk for criminal justice involvement. This challenged my personal values in a way that I had not expected.
My passion within social work is to change the criminal justice system and alleviate the further marginalization of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. Black individuals, especially Black males, are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system.
The client was a young Black male with a persistent mental health disorder, which left me with an ethical decision to make about how I should move forward as a victim and an advocate in this scenario. Compassion allowed me to look at all aspects of the situation, including the client's past, present, and future, and how my decision would have an impact on him. Often, we are not told the entire story about the systemic or individual level experiences and trauma that may lead an individual to behave in a certain way.
Compassion allowed me to see the client from multiple perspectives. I was able to reach an ethical decision that I felt supported my client. This produced mild consequences to ensure accountability, therefore, allowing him the space to improve and grow from this situation. This decision may have provided this client with a future that doesn’t chain him to the criminal justice system and hopefully gives him the opportunity to reach recovery and success. Compassion allowed me to dissolve any anger I had toward the client, find peace, and help to expand my perspective for both offenders and victims, life circumstances, and the interconnectedness of micro-, mezzo-, and macro-level social work.
Without compassion, individuals who aren’t directly impacted by the injustices that spurred movements, such as Black Lives Matter or #metoo, may not feel motivated to action. The support of those who are privileged enough to not have to experience legal violence or the blame and shame of being a victim is vital to giving social movements the weight they need to fuel change. They are seeking to understand the individuals’ circumstances, sit with them in these circumstances, and use their voice to amplify the voices of those who have been historically silenced. This is what social work taught me - the skill and necessity of compassion within the context of my privilege, which I will take with me from here.
Reference
Merriam-Webster. (2021). Compassion. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compassion.
Alexandra Hood has worked as a social worker in mental health. Alexandra dreams of positively influencing the criminal justice system through research and policy. She plans to begin study in a doctoral program in the fall of 2021. In her free time, Alexandra enjoys spending time outdoors with her dog, family, and friends.