Thank you to all the 2020 participants!

On Oct. 12, 2020 we gathered activists, community members, educators, writers, artists and students from around the Country for Circles, Roundtable discussions & a screening of the documentary True Justice. The Restorative Center allied with Southern University Law Center to present a virtual conference on some of the most compelling issues of our time.

From the blessings of the Coushatta elder Loretta Williams (who called in from her home without power in the aftermath of the hurricane), to the call to work from Cori Bush - Indigenous Peoples' Day held us for our work.

The trust the panelists gave the process to share in a roundtable format, to not just speak, but to listen to each other, gathered as we were, students and professors, authors and activists, ultimately members of a community that formed to address some of the most compelling issues of our time.

On Oct. 12, 2020 we gathered activists, community members, educators, writers, artists and students from around the Country for Circles, Roundtable discussions & True Justice screening. The Restorative Center allied with Southern University Law Center to present a virtual conference on some of the most compelling issues of our time.

From the blessings of the Coushatta elder Loretta Williams (who called in from her home without power in the aftermath of the hurricane), to the call to work from Cori Bush - Indigenous Peoples' Day held us for our work.

The trust the panelists gave the process to share in a roundtable format, to not just speak, but to listen to each other, gathered as we were, students and professors, authors and activists, ultimately members of a community that formed to address some of the most compelling issues of our time.

Thank you for sharing this space with us, for holding space for us, for easing the journey for us.

Looking forward, our next big project will be the release of the Reclaim Justice Journal in January of 2021. We see who is here with us and we celebrate.

Is Restorative Justice the answer?

“If not us, then who?”

Suggested donation of $35 - $100 to support the work of TRC

Free for SULC faculty, staff and community

Reclaim Justice - Conference Overview

Invocation, Welcome & Keynote : 10am Eastern (9am c)

Loretta Williams, a Coushatta elder, will open the conference with an invocation.
Welcome by Shailly Agnihotri, Restorative Justice advocate and founder of The Restorative Center.
Keynote address by Cori Bush, national leader in the racial justice movement and Democratic nominee to represent MO-01 in U.S. Congress.
Angelle Bradford, conference moderator & community organizer in New Orleans.

Loretta Williams

A member of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and the Beaver Clan, Loretta has been working for the Coushatta Tribe for over 30 years. She was elected Tribal Council in June of 2017 and is currently serving as the Secretary/Treasurer. She is also the tax commissioner of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. She serves on several Tribal committees which are: Powwow Committee, Princess Committee, and Language Committee.
Loretta speaks her native language and sews Coushatta Tribe’s traditional Native American basketry. She has been married for 33 years and has four children and five grandchildren.

Screen Shot 2020-10-06 at 1.43.48 PM.png — Cori Bush

Cori Bush of St. Louis, MO is an activist, organizer and leader in the racial justice movement. She worked as a medic on the streets in Ferguson and is currently running for U.S. Congress after winning an upset in the Democratic primary for her district.
She is a registered nurse and pastor and has worked in the fields of childcare, mental health and sexual assault awareness.
Bush is a St. Louis native and attended Harris Stowe State University, and Lutheran School of Nursing.

The Circle Experience: 10:30am -12 Eastern (9:30 - 11am c)

Please note: this unique participatory experience will be available only to attendees who register by Oct. 8 and receive a separate zoom meeting (breakout room) link.

Participate in a Circle process to experience its power and potential
Small group circles with people from around the country facilitated by TRC circlekeepers
A grassroots community based model of restorative justice TRC advocates for and teaches

Roundtable Discussion #1: 12-2pm Eastern (11-1 pm c)

Restorative Justice Circles in our communities, families, schools & workplace

Can Restorative Justice be the path forward to remembering who we truly are, both individually and collectively?

Panelists:
Alisha Kohn Newburgh, New York
Formerly incarcerated transgender womxn activist working towards prison abolition in Hudson Valley
Anthony Posada New York City
Attorney and activist son of a recently deported father, Anthony's activism on immigration rights in America is personal
Brian Bourdierd Bronx, New York
Teen Restorative Justice leader with The Restorative Center.
Dean Barry Price Bronx, New York
Educator with NYC Public Schools
Deirdre Williams Brooklyn, New York
Doctorate of Social Welfare & Restorative Justice educator
Erica Davis Brooklyn, New York
Educator and administrator in New York City Public Schools
Jennifer Cameron Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Developing Clemency & Parole programming and legislative initiatives in Louisiana
Maria Jain Brooklyn, New York
Advancing Restorative Justice
Nirmala Nataraj Upstate New York
Writer. Editor. Personal Mythmaker
Shailly Agnihotri New York City & Louisiana
Advocate for Restorative Justice and founder of The Restorative Center
Tamara Veal Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Advancing Restorative Justice in the Baton Rouge & SULC community

Movement break- Circling back to Self (5 minutes)

Malaika Cambridge Dancer and movement educator, Brooklyn, NY

Roundtable Discussion #2: 2-4pm Eastern (1-3 c)

Race in America: Truth and Reckoning

Does Restorative Justice offer a framework for America?

Authors, activists, professors and students discuss this moment and offer a vision of a path forward.

Panelists:
Charles Joseph Barjon II Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Artist and activist advancing Restorative Justice in the undergraduate community at Southern University
Deleso Alford Baton Rouge, Louisiana
SULC Law professor and scholar who has published extensively on the unique and particularized lived experiences of black women
Genara D. Freeman-Morris Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Law Professor and community activist
Gilbert King New York,, New York
Pulitzer prize winning author of Devil in the Grove.
Jonnae Miller St. Louis, Missouri
Student activist researching Michael Brown's death, the Ferguson Report and police response in St. Louis
Kire' Jackson Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Student activist researching the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of South Africa and its viability for application in the United States
LaToya Jones Burrell Minneapolis, Minnesota
Author and educator envisions a path forward towards racial reconciliation
Shailly Agnihotri New York & Louisiana
Advocate for Restorative Justice and founder of The Restorative Center
Timothy B. Rountree Queens, New York
Attorney and parent raising two young Black adults with hope and anguish

Movement break (15 min) inspired by Mandela’s gardens: 6 pm Eastern (5 pm c)

Malaika Cambridge Dancer and movement educator, Brooklyn, NY

True Justice screening: 6:15 pm Eastern (5:15 pm c)

TRC is proud to screen Emmy award winning documentary True Justice. True Justice traces our nation’s history of racial injustice from slavery, lynching, and segregation to mass incarceration (more below).

**Panel discussion with True Justice filmmakers:** 8pm Eastern (7pm c)

Elyse Frenchman. Queens, New York
Elyse Frenchman is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. She’s currently a co-producer with Kunhardt Films, where she worked on True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality (HBO, 2019), King in the Wilderness (HBO, 2018), which chronicles the last three years of MLK Jr.’s life, and a soon to be announced documentary focused on history and politics, premiering October 2020 on HBO. Additionally, she produced and edited John Lewis: His Last March—a tribute to Congressman Lewis, showing his final march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in March 2020. Prior to joining Kunhardt Films, Elyse created long and short form news specials at MSNBC. Her passion for documentary filmmaking began as a 20-year-old as she documented rapid urbanization across China, where she spent significant time living as a child. She strives to create films that generate positive social change by uplifting voices and shedding light on the untold stories that mold our world. In addition to filmmaking, Elyse is an advocate for criminal justice reform. As a volunteer with the Parole Preparation Project, she works with incarcerated people in prisons across New York State to prepare them for their upcoming parole hearings. She’s also taught re-entry classes in New York City jails. Elyse is thrilled and honored to be a part of the Restorative Justice Conference.
Matthew Henderson New York City
Matthew Henderson has over ten years of experience in the world of Film & Television. This industry has allowed him to visualize stories that engage the heart, mind, and soul in six of the world's seven continents. He’s worked on a wide range of projects like True Justice, to Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, a multi-part documentary series that examines the intersection of food and culture, as well as From The Ashes, a film about the Coal Industry in America. For the past two years, Matthew has worked full time with Kunhardt Films telling stories of struggle, redemption, and hope, under the banner of moral leadership. Few people have the opportunity to work in a career that they’re sincerely passionate about -- Matthew counts himself as a part of those privileged few.
Charles Joseph Barjon II Baton Rouge, Louisiana (moderator)
Artist and activist advancing Restorative Justice in the undergraduate community
Miraya Burka New York City (moderator)
Drama and Dramatic Writing student at NYU / Tisch who is working for a more diverse and inclusive film industry