Opening Keynote: David Hooker (University of Notre Dame) (Facilitated by Jeremy Rinker)

“Can (Restorative) Justice transform historical harms or dismantle present day systematic (syndemic) oppressions?”

There is an ongoing and long standing debate as to the capacity of restorative justice either philosophically or as a practical matter to effectively address issues of historical harms and present structural racism. There are those who seek to affirm and attest to ways in which restorative justice can indeed address structural racism. Others argue that transformative and some say transitional justice is what is needed to address the inadequacies of restorative justice. I will use the case of widespread torture of Black and brown bodied people at the hands of the Chicago Police Department in the 1970’s, 80’s, and early 90’s, the subsequent passage of a reparations ordinance in 2015 and the current approach to redress being pursued by the Chicago Torture Justice Center to explore these questions.

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Panel: “Restorative Justice: The Power of Transformation” (Facilitated by Joy Meeker)

Featuring:

• Cassandra Butler (Saybrook University)
• Gayle Humphrey (Saybrook University)
• Janice Jerome (Saybrook University)

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Panel: Vulnerabilities of Somebodiness in Restorative Justice Theory (Facilitated by Amanda Smith Byron)

Featuring:

• Greg Moses (Texas State University)
• Sanjay Lal (Clayton State University)
• Anthony Neal (Mississippi State University)

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This session will feature two groups co-facilitating an interactive discussion on restorative justice, COVID-19, and going online with your program.

Facilitated by Joy Meeker & Jeremy Rinker

Discussion Part 1: “Dilemmas of Restorative and Transformative Practices Online”

• Amanda Smith Byron (Portland State University)
• Joy Meeker (Saybrook University)
• Jill Sternburg (Creative Response to Conflict, Restorative Justice Initiative NY)

Discussion Part 2: “Restorative Circles as a Proactive Institutional Conflict Measure”

• Michael Hemphill (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
• Omari Dyson (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
• Jeremy Rinker (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
• Yougsun Lee (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)

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“The Roots of Our Resistance: Indigenous Peacemaking and the Current Crisis,” International Day of Peace Joint Web Event of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) and Peace and Justice Studies Association

Facilitated by Matt Meyer (Secretary-General, IPRA), Polly Walker (PJSA liaison to IPRA), and Marcela Agudelo (Colombia, CLAIP)

Featured Panel: “The Roots of Our Resistance: Indigenous Peacemaking and the Current Crisis”

• Kelli Te Maihāroa (Asia-Pacific Peace Research Association)
• Matt Mogekwu (Africa Peace Research and Education Association)
• Jim Fenelon (Center for Indigenous Peoples Studies, CSUSB & the Latin American Council for Peace Research)
• Adriana Anacona Munoz (Latin American Council on Peace Research)

Including a special presentation from:

• PJSA 2019 Next Generation Peacemaker Awardee Sarah Fontaine-Sinclair 
• PJSA 2019 Peace Educator Awardee Niigaanwewidem James Sinclair (Anishinaabe/Cree/Ojibwe)

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Panel: Participatory Action Research with the Restorative Roots Collaborative (Facilitated by Jeremy Rinker)

Featuring:

• Rochelle Arms Almengor (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY)
• William M. Evans (Neighborhood Benches)
• Nicole Lavonne Smith (independent RJ practitioner)

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Panel: “Narrative & Storytelling: From Environmental Loss to Resistance” (Facilitated by Michael Loadenthal)

Featuring:

• “Visually communicating climate change” by Lea Rekow (Florida Gulf Coast University)
• “Grief, Grit, and Gratitude: Finding resilience in the face of climate change” by Jan Inglis (facilitator and educator)
• “Dams, Boundaries and the Rising Spirit of Reciprocity” by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes (author and river advocate)
• “Environmental Resistance in the World of Infrastructural Brutalism” by Michael Truscello (Mount Royal University)
• “Border Walls and Bridging Work: Cultivating resilience in spaces of control” by Randall Amster (Georgetown University)

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Keynote: Dr. Sol Neely (Heritage University) (Facilitated by Wim Laven)

“The Trail Where They Cried: Historical Violence, Memory, and Repair Across Generations”

During the fall of 2019, Dr. Sol Neely, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, traveled the Trail of Tears with his father and daughter, meditating on historical violence, transgenerational perseverance, memory, and repair.

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Keynote: Dr. Jamil Al Wekhian (Kent State University) (Facilitated by Wim Laven)

“Understanding Fringe-Right Terrorism–a survivor’s perspective”

In the summer of 2019 Dr. Jamil Al Wekhian was enjoying a family outing when they were targeted in an episode of domestic terrorism. On the evening of Sunday July 28, they were targeted with profane slurs disparaging their skin color, openly mocked for how they were believed to pray, and threatened—“I will bury you all in the river.” A 357 magnum was retrieved, pointed in their direction, and fired over their heads by a man who wanted to scare the family into leaving. This presentation covers the experience of domestic terrorism in the US, the process of healing, the hope for peace and justice in the future, and the scars that remain.

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Panel: “Mythologies of Forgiveness” (Facilitated by Pushpa Iyer)

Featuring:

• Michelle Collins-Sibley (University of Mount Union)
• Pushpa Iyer (Middlebury Institute of International Studies)
• Wim Laven (Cuyahoga Community College)

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Panel: “Symbols and Structures: Stories that Move” (Facilitated by Michelle Collins-Sibley)

Featuring:

• Pat Romano (Dawson College)
• Alison Loader (Dawson College)
• Anick Legault (Dawson College)
• Mark Beauchamp (Dawson College)
• Susan Elmslie (Dawson College)

The panel presentation will involve a group of educators who engaged last winter with the Resist Violence pedagogy, an interdisciplinary approach that brings art, storytelling and the work of social change into the classroom. The presentation will take the form of a performance art piece, whereby panelists will weave together stories of their own experiences with violence in its multiple forms, insights on the difficulties of creating classrooms where constructive conversations happen, and lessons learned from the theory and history of nonviolent practice. Those who attend this session will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session following the performance and gain some direct experience of the pedagogy and its transformative potential.

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Panel: “Storytelling, Scholarship & Activism” (Facilitated by Michelle Collins-Sibley)

Featuring:

• “Narrative Analysis, Diaspora and Scholar Activism” by Christopher P. Davey (independent scholar)
• “The Confidence Tale and Plotting Nonviolent Fiction” by Gabriel Ertsgaard (independent scholar)
• “Storytelling for Social Change at Cincinnati’s Harriet Beecher Stowe House” by John Getz (Xavier University/Harriet Beecher Stowe House)

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Roundtable Discussion: “Polarization in a Time of Misinformation & Political Strife: Water, Climate, and Radical Eco-social Change”

Featuring:

• Lea Rekow (Florida Gulf Coast University)
• Zoe Roller (US Water Alliance)
• Michael Loadenthal (PJSA/Georgetown University)

The post Roundtable Discussion: “Polarization in a Time of Misinformation & Political Strife: Water, Climate, and Radical Eco-social Change” | 2020 PJSA Conference first appeared on Peace and Justice Studies Association.

Keynote: Dr. David Ragland (The Truth Telling Project)

“Truth-Telling in a Time of Polarization”

Followed by Q&A with Dave Ragland and Wim Laven

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Workshop, “Restorative Circle Process: Polarization and the Election” (Facilitated by Alison Castel and Amanda Byron)

Featuring:

• Alison Castel (Regis University)
• Amanda Byron (Portland State University)

The post Workshop: “Restorative Circle Process: Polarization and the Election” | 2020 PJSA Conference first appeared on Peace and Justice Studies Association.

Panel: “Inequities Exposed: Addressing Systemic Injustice in Our Local Communities” (Facilitated by Joy Meeker and Amanda Smith Byron)

Featuring:

• Nancy Pearson
• PC Walker
• Shayla Betts (Saybrook University)

The post Panel: “Inequities Exposed: Addressing Systemic Injustice in Our Local Communities” | 2020 PJSA Conference first appeared on Peace and Justice Studies Association.

Workshop: “Listening Lab: Practical Skills to Listen Even When It’s Hard” (Facilitated by Wim Laven)

Featuring:

• Elizabeth Franz (Habitus Incorporated)

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Panel: “Reframing for More Constructive Outcomes” (Facilitated by Jeremy Rinker)

Featuring:

• “Reframing Reality for the Coronavirus, Job Loss & Needed Racial Justice Age: Implications for Peace Studies and Different Aspects of Peace” by Linda Groff (California State University)
• “Stigma as a Type of Violence” by Aniuska Luna (Citrus Health Network)

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“Storytelling! Grumpy old women, turtles, frogs, locusts, and other unlikely heroes” A Storytelling Session with Louise Omoto Kessel (Facilitated by Swasti Bhattacharyya)

Join storyteller Louise Omoto Kessel for a live storytelling performance that will be enjoyed by adults and young people alike. Louise will offer traditional and contemporary stories selected to encourage us on our path of working for peace and justice. Grumpy old women, turtles, frogs, locusts, and other unlikely heroes model for us how to keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep it positive, keep the faith, and join together to be heard!

The post “Storytelling! Grumpy old women, turtles, frogs, locusts, and other unlikely heroes” A Storytelling Session with Louise Omoto Kessel | 2020 PJSA Conference first appeared on Peace and Justice Studies Association.

Panel: “Constructive Stories in Response to Polarization” (Facilitated by Amanda Smith Byron)

Featuring:

• Chip Hauss (Alliance for Peacebuilding)
• Abby Rapoport (Stranger’s Guide)
• Kate Mytty (Build Peace)
• Toni Farris (George Mason University)
• Tim Ries (Touring saxophonist, The Rolling Stones)

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