Ricardo Brambila, director of the Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake, originally wrote this column for the Baptist Standard as part of a special series "Justice looks like ..." allowing readers the opportunity to consider justice from numerous viewpoints.

Justice is a child looking towards a horizon of open opportunities and various paths to reach his or her God-given purpose. Justice is a child who knows they are growing in an environment where his or her best interest is essential to caregivers. Justice is a child who can be accepted and loved for who he or she is. Justice is a child who can love himself or herself just as he or she was made in the image of God.

Looking at justice as a child

When I hear “justice” as a first-generation Hispanic who has lived in the United States since age 13, my thinking is shaped by growing up in a border town.

These impoverished border communities know of justice as something only wealthy people can obtain. Justice is a commodity with a price. Corruption and justice are tied together for the benefit of those in a position of power and authority.

In this environment of injustice, you soon learn to survive and navigate through these systems. These systems are set to ensure as you grow, you know your place; you know your limitations and what is meant to be for you.

Read the rest of the article at the Baptist Standard.