The Power & Potential of Restorative Justice
December 10, 2021
Our 2020 Conference was a huge success.
Watch the panels and listen to Corey Bush’s keynote here.
The Restorative Center and Louis A. Berry Institute for Civil Rights and Justice at Southern University Law Center invite you to our second annual conference: The Power & Potential of Restorative Justice. Together we’ll look at the philosophical roots of restorative justice models and consider how we can apply them to the future of this work in a post-pandemic era.
This Conference was held via zoom. Full list of participants below.
Deray Mckesson, OPENING Conversation
A civil rights activist focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, he graduated from Bowdoin College and holds honorary doctorates from The New School and the Maryland Institute College of Art.
McKesson has advocated for issues related to children, youth, and families since he was a teen. As a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter Movement and a co-founder of Campaign Zero, McKesson has worked to connect individuals with knowledge and tools, and provide citizens and policy makers with commonsense policies that ensure equity. He has been praised by President Obama for his work as a community organizer, has advised officials at all levels of government and internationally, and continues to provide capacity to activists, organizers, and influencers to make an impact.
-
Spurred by the death of Mike Brown and the subsequent protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and beyond, McKesson has become a key player in the work to confront the systems and structures that have led to mass incarceration and police killings of black and other minority populations. He is also the host of the award-winning weekly podcast Pod Save The People - which creates space for conversation about the most important issues of the week related to justice, equity and identity. In addition to his podcast, his book, On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope has received notable acclaim.
DeRay frequently appears on national media outlets including The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, among many others. He has also been featured on the cover of The Advocate, Adweek, and Attitude Magazine and has been highlighted in a range of publications including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview Magazine, VICE, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Baltimore Sun. He is a board member of Rock The Vote, was named one of the World’s Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine in 2015, one of the 30 Most Influential People On The Internet by Time Magazine in 2016.
The Power & Potential of Restorative Justice - Conference Overview
Invocation, Welcome & Opening Remarks
10:30am (Eastern) / 9:30am (Central)
Loretta Williams, a Coushatta elder, will open the conference with an invocation
Welcoming remarks by Ada Goodly, Director, Louis A. Berry Institute for Civil Rights and Justice at Southern University Law Center and Chancellor John Pierre of SULC.
Conference Opening Remarks: DeRay McKesson, Civil Rights Activist, Author and Podcaster; followed by Q & A
Angelle Bradford, conference moderator & community organizer in New Orleans
Roundtable #1: The Philosophical Roots of Restorative Justice
11:30 - 1pm (Eastern) / 10:30am - 12:00pm (Central)
Explore the various methodologies of RJ and their philosophical roots to answer the question of how RJ can lead the way; Followed by Q & A.
Shandiin Yazzie (Dine-Akimel O'odham), peacemaker from the Diné/Navajo people of Arizona
Michelle Armster, Executive Director for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) focusing on conflict transformation and restorative justice
Brian Bourdierd, Teen Restorative Justice Leader
Shailly Agnihotri, Founder of The Restorative Center
Gabrielle Burton-Hill, community advocate and Restorative Justice leader
Caroline Durham, Executive Director for St Charles Center for Faith+Action
Lunch break
1- 1:30pm (Eastern) / 12 - 12:30pm (Central)
Roundtable #2: Restorative Justice in the Legal System?
1:30 - 3pm (Eastern) / 12:30 - 2pm (Central)
Can RJ intersect with integrity within or in alliance with the Legal systems? Explore the concerns and the opportunities. Followed by Q & A
David Graham, works with the Albany DA’s office to develop community based restorative justice programming
Diego Dall' Agnol Maia, Brazilian attorney and law professor, author of Law and Restorative Justice - A Search for Overcoming Revenge
Alisha Kohn, formerly incarcerated transgender womxn activist working towards prison abolition
Tamara Veal, 3L Southern University Law Center student interested in fair and just criminal prosecution
Anthony Posada, Public Defender in New York City
Coffee break and movement
3- 3:30pm (Eastern) / 2:00 - 2:30pm (Central)
Roundtable #3: Race and Reconciliation
3:30 - 5:30pm (Eastern) / 2:30 - 4:30pm (Central)
Does Restorative Justice offer a framework for America?
State and local community leaders join us in discussing the path forward to address the potential for race and reconciliation. Followed by Q & A
The Honorable Judge Calvin Johnson, Ret., nationally recognized leader in criminal justice reform
Chief Murphy Paul, Chief of the Baton Rouge Police Department
Representative Royce Duplessis, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives representing 93rd district
Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, Mayor-President of the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish
Nzhada Harris, Student Bar Association President of The Southern University Law Center
Revolutionary Self-Care with Malaika Cambridge
5:30 - 6pm (Eastern) / 4:30 - 5pm (Central)
The Somatics of Circle Keeping: Self-Care + Embodiment as Revolutionary Praxis
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” - Audre Lorde
In a time that requires so much from us, centering self-care is vital. Join Malaika (TRC board member, dancer + activist), as we explore somatic tools for self care, social justice, and circle keeping.
The Circle Experience - FULL (email for waitlist circles@therestorativecenter.org)
6 - 7:30pm (Eastern) / 5 - 6:30pm (Central)
**limited capacity, please register early
Participate in a Circle process and experience its power and potential
Small group circles with people from around the country facilitated by TRC circle-keepers
A grassroots community based model of restorative justice TRC advocates for and teaches
Closing 7:30pm (Eastern) / 6:30pm (Central). Thank you!
2021 Conference Speakers:
Suggested donation of $35 - $100 to support the work of TRC
Free for SULC faculty, staff and community
“Wisdom is like the baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it.” -Ewe proverb
Conference coordinated by Tamara Veal and Dawn Valentine
