Bending the Arc Of Justice

by Mark Aurand

We received this as a widely-disseminated email from Greater Good Legal, based in South Bethlehem.

Greetings from Greater Good Legal!

You likely have heard or read the following quote: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward Justice.” This quote is credited to Martin Luther King, Jr., but has been repeated by many, including former President Barack Obama and Congressman John Lewis.

Recently, Tyler Adams, the captain of the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team, was asked by a foreign reporter how he could play for the U.S. team given that there is “so much discrimination against black people” in the U.S. You can listen to his response on YouTube.

Mr. Adams’ response projects some of the same optimism as the quote: while racism is common around the world, at least in the U.S. we are making slow, incremental progress.

Whether or not this is an accurate description of the history or the present of the U.S. (and this can and should be debated), the point that others have made and that we want to emphasize today is this: this “bending” toward justice, even if it happens, doesn’t happen automatically, magically or inevitably, it depends upon the individual decisions each of us make every day, including the following, to name just a few:

• Who we hire and who we do business with;
• Who we have lunch or coffee with or otherwise spend time with;
• Who our kids go to school with and do other activities with;
• Who we welcome to our business locations, workforces, neighborhoods and homes;
• Who we worship with if we worship;
• The groups and organizations we volunteer with;
• The charities we donate to;
• Whether we vote, and if we vote, who we vote for;
• The public policies we support and advocate for (think affordable housing, equitable school funding, cash bail reform, access to health services (including mental health services), etc.);
• What we read, watch and amplify;
• Who we follow on social media.

For several years now, we at Greater Good have started our team meetings with discussions relating to injustice: racism, antisemitism, other ethnic and religious prejudices, discrimination against the LGBTQ community, homelessness and poverty, and other forms of injustice.

We have encouraged each other to make intentional decisions about steps each of us can take individually and that all of us can take collectively to bend the arc toward justice, and we have taken some of those steps, including donating to and volunteering with organizations we believe are bending the arc toward justice. (Please note, we describe our own efforts not to boast, but rather to illustrate some of the action steps that can be taken. We acknowledge that we continue to fall short on a daily basis.)

As 2023 progresses, we encourage all of you to think carefully about what steps you can take in your daily lives to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. And we encourage you to TAKE ACTION even if it makes you feel uncomfortable! Justice will not occur unless we each in our own lives help to make it happen.

One final thought, why do we pursue justice? In part, because it’s the morally right thing to do, but also because we believe a society based on justice for all will unlock the talent and creativity of each individual in a way that will benefit all of us.