Pillar 2: Commitment to Justice Across History

Pillar 2:

Commitment to Justice Commitment to Justice Across History

“Take a long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation will not happen right away. Change often takes time. It rarely happens all at once. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part. And if we believe in the change we seek, then it is easy to commit to doing all we can, because the responsibility is ours alone to build a better society and a more peaceful world.” - John R Lewis 

A commitment to justice means continuing to fight for social justice throughout one's life. The possibilities of what this commitment can look like are endless, as it can be done through advocating for important issues, supporting your community, becoming a political leader to make constitutional change, participating in local protests, creating art to highlight various causes, and more.

Devotion to Duty

Many elder activists we know today have dedicated their lives to their causes. Below are a few examples of exceptional activism and commitment to justice demonstrated over a lifetime. 

Dolores Huerta

Angela Davis

Vadana Shiva

Julian Bond

John R. Lewis College Presents:
Social Movements for a Just Society

Necessary Trouble: Thinking with the Legacy of John R. Lewis
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” – John R. Lewis

Ready for some necessary trouble? In anticipation and in honor of the dedication of John R. Lewis College at UC Santa Cruz, the Division of Social Sciences, Colleges Nine and Ten, the Institute for Social Transformation, and the Center for Racial Justice organized five events centered on topics exemplified by the life of Representative John Lewis. At UC Santa Cruz, we believe that the real change is us. The series aimed to highlight the efforts of faculty, students, staff, community leaders, and alumni in their commitments to social and racial justice, civic engagement, and democracy as a call for all of us to carry John R. Lewis’ legacy forward.

“A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option — for peace cannot exist where justice is not served.” — John Lewis said of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned a beloved community in which everyone is cared for — a world absent of poverty, hunger, and hate, where racism and all forms of discrimination are gone, and trust and love triumph over fear and hatred. It seems that we are as far as ever from the just society that the civil rights movement envisioned. In American society today, there are renewed attempts at voter suppression, erosion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and growing wealth inequality, homelessness, racism, transphobia, and xenophobia. Yet at the same time, in recent years we have witnessed truly unprecedented civic mobilizations–for racial justice, gender rights, immigrant integration, voting rights, climate justice, abolition, and more.  

This event features leaders and scholars rooted in these movements for civic engagement, revitalized democracy, and a just society. Their work helps highlight inspiring examples of people coming together, speaking truth to power, confronting injustice and transforming adversity into opportunity. Panelists will discuss lessons they’ve learned from their work, highlight promising movements for democracy and justice in contemporary society, and explore paths forward to address the most pressing challenges in the U.S. and world today.  

Moving Forward

Ahead, you will get a look at John R. Lewis and his commitment to justice.