Speaking Up and Speaking Out: Working for Social and Environmental Justice Through Parks, Recreation, and Leisure

Periodically, it is healthy for a profession to take a good hard look at itself. This is one of those occasions. While the field of parks, recreation, and leisure has come a long way as a human service profession, it still has a long way to go. This is especially evident when we think about social and environmental justice. With a few notable exceptions, we have not paid enough attention to these themes, and it is time we give them their due. We should neither shy away from speaking up and speaking out for people at the margins who are oppressed by social, cultural, political, and other injustices, nor should we shy away from speaking up and speaking out for the environment that is the ground of our being. First, we address the importance of self-reflection, of seeking to know ourselves better so that we might behave more empathetically toward our fellow citizens. This soul search helps provide a reflexive foundation upon which to build healthy relationships with other people. Second, we discuss individuals and groups at the margins—the disenfranchised and the dispossessed—who are commonly oppressed by hegemonic forces, including our own parks, recreation, and leisure profession. What we try to do is help you see the world from their perspectives. We also extend this discussion to the natural world to better understand our ethical obligations toward it. Third, we conclude by preparing you for socially and environmentally responsible activism. Our goal is to have you not only learn from reading this book, but to inspire you to apply what you learn to the conduct of your own personal and professional life. Only then will the book have achieved what we set out for it to do. Read more