Whatchu Know About Restorative Justice‪?‬ CCEJ

What is the first thing you do in the morning when you get out of bed? Whose land do you wake up on? What is the history of how the land came to be there for you?

As part of our series: Expanding the Breath, expanding Restorative Justice into family, society and workplaces we have a conversation with the Editor and Contributor of Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing Our Realties, Dr. Edward C Valandra/ Waŋbli Wapȟáha Hokšíla, about Settler Colonialism- the theft and illegal occupation of Indigenous land and the elimination of Indigenous peoples. Edward shares critical insights about who is a settler, how the near genocide of Indigenous peoples is the United State’s ‘first harm’, and the violent impacts Indigenous peoples continue to experience today.

Throughout the conversation, we examine the limitations and strengths of Restorative Justice to effectively engage with Settler Colonialism, and grapple with Edward’s call to all Restorative Justice practitioners to address this ‘first harm’ in order to make the transformative potential of the Restorative Justice movement a reality.

We also explore with Edward how non- Indigenous people can come into consciousness of this legacy of this ‘first harm’ by first ‘unsettling’ themselves with strategies and methods such as challenging their own ‘settler fragility’, thoughtfully practicing land acknowledgments and continuing to develop their ability to act against Settler Colonialism.

Resources to Learn More:
Link to: Anna Soole: “A Resource for Indigenous Solidarity” https://www.annasoole.com/single-post/2018/04/03/decolonization-a-resource-for-indigenous-solidarity
Link to Colorizing Restorative Justice book: http://www.livingjusticepress.org/

“Restorative Justice work extends beyond the school.” In our training, CCEJ complicates individual views of trauma by acknowledging the historical roots of trauma in white supremacy, colonization, capitalism, cisheteropatriarchy. Having this deeper view of trauma is especially important for bringing Restorative Justice practices “home” to families of all kinds, a challenging process we get insights on from CCEJ’s Training Specialist, Mayra Serna.
We begin this special two-part conversation by examining the power of storytelling within families to name, understand, and begin to heal trauma. Taking three generations of our own families as examples, we explore how systems of power have impacted their values and choices around disciplinary and resilience practices. We do discuss discipline methods within our families, please be advised regarding your own experiences and activations regarding such experiences. We close this first part by inviting listeners to explore their own family narratives through a series of questions to use in their own families.
In part two of this series, we examine discipline and school by discussing various trauma and stress responses from school discipline practices, as well as historic uses of such practices. We also examine what questions Restorative Justice asks in connection to discipline. Mayra shares promising practices that incorporate parents and caregivers as leaders and contributors to school culture. Mayra discusses what a powerful support Restorative Justice can be for parent and caregiver communities, and how parents and caregivers are important to the successful implementation of Restorative Justice in schools.

“Restorative Justice work extends beyond the school.” In our training, CCEJ complicates individual views of trauma by acknowledging the historical roots of trauma in white supremacy, colonization, capitalism, cisheteropatriarchy. Having this deeper view of trauma is especially important for bringing Restorative Justice practices “home” to families of all kinds, a challenging process we get insights on from CCEJ’s Training Specialist, Mayra Serna.
We begin this special two-part conversation by examining the power of storytelling within families to name, understand, and begin to heal trauma. Taking three generations of our own families as examples, we explore how systems of power have impacted their values and choices around disciplinary and resilience practices. We do discuss discipline methods within our families, please be advised regarding your own experiences and activations regarding such experiences. We close this first part by inviting listeners to explore their own family narratives through a series of questions to use in their own families.
In part two of this series, we examine discipline and school by discussing various trauma and stress responses from school discipline practices, as well as historic uses of such practices. We also examine what questions Restorative Justice asks in connection to discipline. Mayra shares promising practices that incorporate parents and caregivers as leaders and contributors to school culture. Mayra discusses what a powerful support Restorative Justice can be for parent and caregiver communities, and how parents and caregivers are important to the successful implementation of Restorative Justice in schools.

“Without racial justice there is no justice at my school site.” Making Restorative Justice a reality requires dedication from school leaders through everyday choices. Joining us this episode is Suzanne Caverly, a middle school principal in the Long Beach Unified School District. Suzanne shares her experiences in navigating power dynamics in order to practice authentic restorative leadership in a school community. Suzanne also discusses why positive relationships with staff are an important and impactful foundation for creating a school wide culture that values each student’s dignity by investing time in creating real community. Underlying all of her reflections is Suzanne’s journey as a white educator to understand and act on her responsibility for challenging racism in her relationships with staff, students, and families. Suzanne closes her reflections by offering key lessons she’s learned for other white educators working to practice anti-racism in their classrooms.

“If you disagree with the prison system, then you should not agree or practice exclusionary discipline.” This episode we sit with Tobin Paap, School Culture Specialist with Green Dot Public Schools California, to discuss the role creativity and flexibility play in Restorative Justice implementation in schools. Tobin also reflects on the impact the long-term partnership between Green Dot and CCEJ has been successful, in large part because of the foundation provided by CCEJ’s 17 Restorative Justice Beliefs. Tobin provides reflections on how these beliefs have been incorporated into the structure and culture of Green Dot schools, especially the belief, “No one is disposable” as a way to understand and interrupt the school to prison pipeline. Tobin closes his conversation by sharing his experiences and growth as a white educator working with Black and Latinx youth in South Los Angeles schools and as a volunteer at the resistance camp for the Dakota Access pipeline camp in Standing Rock.

“Mentorship matters. I became a teacher to connect with young students, who had negative experiences in education.”

In this episode with speak with High School Math Teacher, Victor J. Lee, about how he attempts to engage and meet students' needs, both before the pandemic and during distance learning. We hear direct examples of his use of Restorative Dialogue in the classroom. Victor relates his success in storytelling in building trust and humanizing himself as well as naming what he feels responsible teachers should be doing to build relationships with students. Victor explains why he chooses to be vulnerable for a greater purpose of relationships of equity with young people. We also discuss the responsibilities of educators working with young people of different identities than their own and the examining of implicit biases. Victor also provides strategies to engage students in this time of distance learning.