Author (Being Restorative, April 2024) and restorative practitioner Leaf Seligman invites us to the tenderness of humility, listening, and towards the values and principles that unite us as a humanity, as we face intense and urgent polarization and violence in our world. Our host Jabali Stewart of Huayruro, himself a martial artist of nonviolence and unification, weaves us in conversation to implore deepening inquiry into what this thing we call ‘restorative’ really is, how it makes its way into the world, and how it ameliorates connection and context.
Tenderness is often considered weak or scary, and yet it is itself a revolutionary act. Leaf’s work within prisons and communities, as well as her personal experiences as a partially sight-impaired person, illuminate the “lens” and approach to this work that grounds individuals much beyond the field of restorative justice, in times of great upheaval and disconnection. Tenderness is a powerful bridge that acknowledges the other, that asks also of accountability of self first, and of others, yet from an understanding of our global interrelationship as a baseline for life, and life well lived. And alongside her perspective, we keep in mind the indigenous of our world who came long before this movement, knowing we are related to all life, humans and animals, trees, waters, skies, and cosmos. With this there is honor in having responsibility to all. This awareness is welcomed throughout our dialogue.
Oftentimes it is easy to misunderstand restorative as only relating to conflict and the modern justice systems in our world, yet it is a much larger scope of practices that center our common humanity and ask us to hear from one another in ways that build or rebuild, reshaping trust and meaning, offering powerful and sustaining agency for change on every level imagined.
ABOUT
Leaf Seligman
Leaf Seligman is the author of Being Restorative which was published in April 2024 and is available from the publisher, Bauhan Publishing, and online retailers. Leaf considers herself a daughter of the trees, grateful to live in Maple Nation and be close enough to spend time among beloved copper beeches. She has taught in colleges, prisons, and community settings since 1985. As a restorative practitioner, Leaf draws on her experience as a jail chaplain, prisoner educator, congregational minister, college instructor, and human being. She facilitates peacekeeping circles, immersive learning experiences, and restorative processes of accountability, healing, and transformation. Leaf delights in bringing tenderness everywhere. Her previous books include Opening the Window: Sabbath Meditations, A Pocket Book of Prompts, and From the Midway: Unfolding Stories of Redemption and Belonging. She lives in New Hampshire.
Jabali Stewart
Jabali is an organizational consultant, a leadership coach, a public speaker, a youth worker, and a circle keeper. He has kept Peacemaking Circles in schools (K through College), businesses, families, government, and community settings. He has trained in and practices the lineage of Circle Keeping connected to Mark Wedge, Kay Pranis, Barry Stuart and Tahnaga Myers for over a decade. Besides Circle, he also practices other Art of Hosting and Participatory Leadership modalities. Jabali is a former independent school administrator, a public speaker, and has also cultivated a practice of one-on-one counsel. He enjoys collaborative problem-solving, and his work is deeply informed by his belief and practice of sensible, love-based leadership.
Find Jabali on Linkedin
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This episode features Dr. Tema Okun who gives us a brief rundown of the characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, which can be understood in-depth on her website: www.whitesupremacyculture.info
Dr. Tema Okun offers her knowledge of relationships that people may have with White Supremacy Culture as well as suggestions to dismantle this broken system. We welcome listeners to step outside of thinking that these systems are working for us in any shape or form.
The live webinar was recorded on January 23rd, 2025 and it is hosted by Molly Rowan Leach, founder of RJotR, and Logan Ward, Restorative Justice on the Rise’s new Social Media Manager.
Logan then relates a statement from the website to his recently released documentary, Remarkable, Voices from the Trans Community, which covers the similar topic of objectivity’s irrelevance when in dialogue with oppressed (marked) and non-oppressed (unmarked) groups.
Logan’s film can be found on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PpjhMnVsFk
And the subsequent discussion space can both be found on his website: https://www.loganward.net/film
Key notes from this episode:
Dr. Tema Okun recommends that if we are going to engage in restorative justice work we need a:
The instructions from Tema’s mother are:
ABOUT
Tema Okun
Dr. Okun has spent over 40 years working with and for organizations, schools, and community-based institutions as an educator, facilitator, and coach focused on issues of racial justice and equity. She currently facilitates, consults, mentors, and offers talks for and with leaders and organizations locally and nationwide.
She is the author of the award-winning The Emperor Has No Clothes: Teaching About Race and Racism to People Who Don’t Want to Know (2010, IAP) and the widely used article White Supremacy Culture. She has published a revised version of this article on an extended and expanded website at www.whitesupremacyculture.info
Tema is a fierce Jewish advocate for Palestine solidarity as a member of the Triangle Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. She is on the board of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and belongs to the Bhumisphara Sangha under the leadership of Lama Rod Owens. She is a graduate of the Spiritual Guidance Training Institute. She is an artist, a poet, and a writer. She lives in Durham NC where she is fortunate to reside among beloved community. Her current project is deepening her ability to love her neighbor as herself. She is finding the instruction easy and the follow through challenging, given how we live in a culture that is afraid to help us do either or both.
Reach her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tema-okun-0a14311a1
Logan Ward
Logan Ward (he/him) is an illustrator, writer, and filmmaker who values dialogue, challenging societal norms, and mutual respect. He graduated with a master’s in Media Design in August 2024, where he studied community-centered and participatory approaches to research and design.
Reach him on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/logan-ward-860620218/
Check out his illustrations on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l.ward.draws/
And also on his website: https://www.loganward.net/
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recorded at Expanding Restorative Justice in Oregon in 2021.***
***HEADS UP: This episode's audio quality is limited by the resources available at the time of the conference. Though, we are still excited to share this episode because of the quality of conversation. Enjoy!
Episode Description
In 2021, the Criminal Justice Commission created rules regarding the administration of the Restorative Justice Grant Program. Those rules require applicants to propose community based restorative justice programs that serve as alternatives to prosecution. This requirement is in alignment with best practices from across the country that speak to the importance of community held restorative justice programs.
This panel discussion will explore the importance of keeping restorative justice programs based in community and separate from the criminal legal process. Panelists will provide background on their experiences with community based restorative justice programs and will speak to the critical differences between the restorative and punitive approaches to harm.
Danielle DeCant
Deputy District Attorney in Hood River County
Member of Circles of Peace Advisory Team in the Columbia River Gorge
danielle.decant@hoodrivercounty.gov
Debra Pennington-Davis
Circles of Peace Program/Six Rivers Dispute Resolution Center
Restorative Justice Coordinator
Laura Diamond (She/her)
Conflict Artistry LLC
Co-owner, Coordinator, Facilitator
Emily B. Naylor
Emerging Adult Program / Community Solutions of Central Oregon
Restorative Justice Specialist & Lead Facilitator
In Partnership with:
Restorative Justice Coalition of Oregon
RJCO is a coalition of Oregon restorative justice practitioners and programs.
We promote and support the implementation and practice of restorative justice principles and models in Oregon’s justice, law enforcement, educational and other community institutions.
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with Shaylie Pickrell
Director of Operations & Infrastructure, RJ Facilitator - Restorative Roots Project (PDX, OR, USA)
In this 1:15h episode, we drop deeply into the concept that our greatest losses might just be our greatest powers to serve our communities, and our world.
We explore key topics such as:
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For anyone questioning the viability of restorative justice as an alternative to violent crime prosecution, here's your evidence. Join us for a conversation that is inspiring and informative.
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Joe and Marg hit the ground running in their typical fun, informative style that has won the hearts and minds of thousands worldwide, sharing potent insights as they discuss the birth of their new book, and the reasons for its existence.
Tune in to hear all about the following key points and more:
Behavior development not behavior management
The role of the brain
Allostasis
Brain as predictor not as responder
Sensory input and past experiences as self-perpetuating
Fight flight freeze faint are preparations
Responding, not reacting, to trauma
Unlearning our socialization of punishment
“PBIS”: what’s wrong with it, where it came from (Levoss)
Managing each other’s body-budget
Connection-orientation as driver
Co-Regulating or Co-Escalating
Code Switching and adaptation to environment
The myth of lowered expectations when RJE is introduced
Neural pathways and brain re-structuring
Transactional or Transformational
If you are in the problem, you should be included in the decision making
Restorative starts with us
Ako, the teacher is also the student (New Zealand word)
Prevention-focused instead of trained as conflict/behavior system
Cues of relationship
Cues of safety
Relationship block - 20 m comm building circles
Shame’s role...and much more
ABOUT RESTORATIVE JUSTICE ON THE RISE
The world's first restorative justice podcast and public lives platform, since 2011
The Redemption Project Discussion Series in alliance with Van Jones & REFORM/CNN
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This feature panel discussion is in collaboration with the Restorative Rainbow Alliance, Restorative Justice on The Rise, and Director and Producer Logan Ward to uplift the incredible film: Remarkable: Voices From The Trans Community. {Watch Now}
In this conversation we get to hear from trans man and creator of the film, Logan Ward, as well as a major voice in the film, Hami Samba, who both share about the comfort they found in being able to tell their own narratives. Logan's film illustrates distrust towards the trans community and proposes that community-centered and participatory practices could assist in rebuilding that trust.
All of these ideas are discussed, and the RRA's restorative justice and queer lens helps us consider these ideas within context.
In addition, we want to highlight the RRA's code of conduct, and their overall efforts, within the restorative justice field.
Please let us know if you'd like to contact any/all of our panelists for possible engagement in your community! To contact Logan Ward directly, click here
Length: 1:12
REMARKABLE on Insta: www.instagram.com/remarkablefilm
Restorative Rainbow Alliance: https://www.restorativerainbowalliance.org
***
Restorative Justice on The Rise is the very first live and standard podcast since 2011 focusing on Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding, from the personal to collective, demonstrating powerful stories, cases, and insights from a robust range of diverse voices, and reaching every continent in our world. We can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and our collaboration for this podcast episode is a result of our Fellowship status with the Salzburg Global Media Academy, a program forging critical pathways forward in the age of AI.
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Paul Mihailidis is a professor of civic media and journalism and assistant dean in the school of communication at Emerson College in Boston, MA, where he teaches media literacy, civic media, and community activism. He is founding program director of the MA in Media Design, Senior Fellow of the Emerson Engagement Lab, and faculty chair and director of the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Scientific American, Slate Magazine, the Nieman Foundation, USA Today, Newsweek, CNN, and others. Mihailidis holds a visiting professorship at Bournemouth University in England and the Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aires.
Paul is also the Co-Editor of Transformative Media Pedagogies (Routledge, 2022). We jump right into the purpose of the 17 Year Media Academy Efforts, the irrevocable connection between media and social justice, "Radiant mojo" and the powerful impact of the life of Moses Shumow, and much more. Listen in to discover Paul's insights into how media may just be the most impactful part of changing global narratives, systems, and individual lives. Host: Molly Rowan Leach
Length: 44m
Salzburg Global Seminar Website: www.salzburgglobal.org
Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change: https://www.salzburgglobal.org/multi-year-series/media-academy
***
Restorative Justice on The Rise is the very first live and standard podcast since 2011 focusing on Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding, from the personal to collective, demonstrating powerful stories, cases, and insights from a robust range of diverse voices, and reaching every continent in our world. We can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and our collaboration for this podcast episode is a result of our Fellowship status with the Salzburg Global Media Academy, a program forging critical pathways forward in the age of AI.
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Camilo was a plenary keynote presenter at the European Forum for Restorative Justice's 12th International Conference in late May, 2024, in Tallinn, Estonia. His presentation made key links between restorative and transitional justice on the ground in Colombia, and how his work as a practitioner and government official alike has spurred much-awaited efforts to provide RJ as a viable systemic and community practice in his country.
He may very well be the first high-ranking government official in the world to have "Restorative Justice" within his official title.
Host Molly Rowan Leach sat down with Camilo in a park adjacent to the conference in beautiful Tallinn to discuss behind-the-scenes reflections of the panel, insights into the link between RJ and Transitional Justice at the micro- and macro-levels, and to share a little about his own experiences as a survivor of his father's murder, and the work he does to further RJ in Colombia.
More Information at the Colombia Official Ministry site: https://www.minjusticia.gov.co/ministerio/Paginas/Viceministerio-de-Pol%C3%ADtica-Criminal-y-Justicia-Restaurativa1.aspx
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The award-winning “radically original” (The Atlantic) restorative justice leader, whose work the Washington Post has called “totally sensible and totally revolutionary,” grapples with the problem of violent crime in the movement for prison abolition
“Profoundly necessary.” —Michelle Alexander, The New York Times
IN THIS HOUR EPISODE, Danielle Sered, a survivor of violence herself, shares with us insights into what her hopes were in writing the globally-esteemed book Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration and A Road To Repair (New Press, 2019) and some insights into her process five years ago that led to one of the restorative justice world's most game-changing tomes, bridging us from theories and evidence into the deeply intimate details of practices that meet the needs of survivors of violence, independent of the traditional justice systems in the US and beyond. She introduces us to four key areas that are to this day the foundation of her work with Common Justice, and reflects on what she has observed since the 2019 publication.
In New York City, we operate the first alternative-to-incarceration and victim-service program in the United States that focuses on violent felonies in the adult courts. Locally and nationally, we leverage the lessons from our direct service to transform the justice system through partnerships, advocacy, and elevating the experience and power of those most impacted.
Rigorous and hopeful, we build practical strategies to hold people accountable for harm, break cycles of violence, and secure safety, healing, and justice for survivors and their communities.
VISIT WEBSITE: Common Justice
WATCH The Zoom Recording of this Live Dialogue on our YouTube Channel
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Media That Matters:
Public Dialogue On Justice
Restorative Justice on the Rise is an international live dialogue via Webcast and Telecouncil platform that reaches an international constituency of invididuals, organizations, professionals, academics, practitioners, and more. The mission is to provide connection, advocacy, education and inspired action as a public service to individuals and communities seeking to proactively improve relationships and structures within their spheres and our world.