Should We Pursue Justice Today?

If you’re wondering whether we should pursue justice today, the answer is yes, we should. There is a lot of social and racial inequality present today – and this can make us feel like there is no point to fighting for justice. However, it is important that we continue to pursue justice even if it seems hopeless. Fighting for what is right will eventually lead to some form of change – even if it’s not in the way we expect it to be.

This article uses the film The Hurricane as an example of how pursuing justice eventually led to a positive outcome. The film helps us understand why we should fight against injustice even when it’s difficult to.

An Overview of the Film’s Plot
It did not take much to put the boxer Rubin Carter behind bars. There was no real evidence that indicated that he had committed the triple homicide at the bar in Paterson, New Jersey.

A suspect named Alfred Bello claimed that he had witnesses Rubin Carter at the bar at the time of the shooting with a pistol and a shotgun on him.

The police had stopped the car Carter and his friend Artis were in while they were making their way back from another club. It was clear that the cops weren’t convinced that Carter and Artis were responsible for the shootings, but that didn’t help the men’s situation.

Bello and his accomplice Arthur Bradley went on to testify in court about Carter’s involvement in the shooting. Their testimonies closed the case and resulted in Carter and Artis being put behind bars for 3 life sentences.

In the film, Carter was released after an African-American boy, Lesra Martin, did whatever he could to prove Carter’s innocence. This act is important because it shows the resilience of providing justice even in the face of adversity. Here’s a trailer for the film.

Why Is It Important to Fight for What’s Right?
Social inequality has and will continue to exist for years to come – and race plays a big part in that. For so long now, African-American people have been subjected to inequality on almost every level. The false conviction of Rubin Carter is just one example of that. However, this example shows us the importance of pursuing justice. If Martin had not taken on the responsibility to help someone in need, there would probably be no justice for Carter, and he would have to spend all of his life in prison.

It is understandable and human to feel dejected by how injustice for minorities is integrated into society’s institutions. However, it’s important that we don’t leave our opinions of inequality there. There has to be constant struggle to bring about positive change. All great leaders and followers have struggled to bring the privileges we are afforded today.

As we move forward, we must not renounce the existing institutions, but work to make them better. It’s nearly impossible to bring change while operating outside of society’s systems and institutions. We must integrate and understand the flaws in the institutions and figure out how to tackle them together.