{"id":4572,"date":"2023-12-01T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T14:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timothypowell"},"modified":"2024-05-21T12:37:43","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T17:37:43","slug":"why-do-i-need-restorative-justice-i-need-to-unlearn-what-ive-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restorativejusticeok.org\/blog\/why-do-i-need-restorative-justice-i-need-to-unlearn-what-ive-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do I need restorative justice? I need to unlearn what I\u2019ve learned"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

I\u2019ve learned that many people (especially those that aren\u2019t white) have lived with hurt, harm and trauma for a long time.\u00a0 They carry legacy burdens of past generations in their genetic code.\u00a0 So, why would an educated white woman need to better understand this reality? Hear me out –<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I know my family\u2019s genealogy from 1632 (paternal) and 1750 (maternal).\u00a0 This history provided me with an anchor, particularly after the British and Swedish ancestors made it to the Colonies (United States).\u00a0 I come from Patriotic stock in New England \u2013 part of the original 13 colonies.\u00a0 My ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War.\u00a0 I was and am privileged because I know my lineage. Patience for more\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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I expected energy, yet felt deep sadness<\/b><\/p>\r\n

In May, 2021, my husband and I toured the Southeast United Stated on what we labeled, an <\/span>African American\/Black Tour of the South.<\/b>\u00a0 We would end our trip in Oklahoma for the anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, May 31, 2021.\u00a0 The tour included crossing the Edmond Pettus Bridge while we channeled John Lewis.\u00a0 We visited the National Civil Rights Museum, the National Memorial and Museum for Peace and Justice and cities including Selma, Montgomery, and Memphis.\u00a0 We stood on the balcony where Martin Luther King was shot.\u00a0 We saw the soil from lynching sites.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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I returned to Tulsa with the heaviest sadness that I ever experienced.\u00a0 My husband\u2019s sadness was profound as it reminded him of his family\u2019s Holocaust experiences.\u00a0 I felt deep sadness in my body.\u00a0 I expected to be recharged with my new knowledge and to bring that energy back to the Tulsa Race Massacre anniversary.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Eventually the deep energy arrived<\/b><\/p>\r\n

What I brought back to Tulsa was deep grief that <\/span>eventually <\/span><\/i>morphed into deep energy.\u00a0 An energy to learn.\u00a0 Energy to change.\u00a0 An energy to think about people and races and culture in new ways.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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You see, I thought I was already smart and open-minded.\u00a0 I\u2019ve traveled all over the USA.\u00a0 I\u2019ve visited 41 countries.\u00a0 BUT, I didn\u2019t know the real history of my own country.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know that 60 million Native Americans were killed or died because of actions taken by the white European Colonists.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t connect that manpower was needed for North\/South commerce and that was a catalyst for the slave trade.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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I had been taught that America was the land of opportunity for all immigrants, yet I had to take off my rose-colored glasses. I had tremendous cognitive dissonance.\u00a0 I had internal discomfort and mental angst, which I knew from the past, usually leads to learning and change.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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I dove in to learning and self-reflection<\/b><\/p>\r\n

I read books and took a few classes online.\u00a0 Each activity led to greater self-reflection and awareness.\u00a0 It ended up that the answer was close.\u00a0 I am associated with Phoenix Rising High School, and it has a culture of restorative justice.\u00a0 I realized if the involvement of RJIOK was positive in the school, could it also have a positive impact on me?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

My fear was getting too radical<\/b><\/p>\r\n

The idea of restorative justice felt much more comfortable than social justice or racial justice, although I knew they were related.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to be involved with policy work or legislation; I was attracted to direct work with self and others.\u00a0 I created a mantra: \u201cI must restore myself before I can help to restore others.\u201d\u00a0 And that\u2019s where it all began.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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RJIOK is frequently embedded in schools.\u00a0 However, as someone with corporate America experience, my view is restorative justice is more related to diversity, equity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) programs and thinking.\u00a0 Not just being TOLD about it, but first investing time in one\u2019s own values, social mores, and family culture.\u00a0 Finally, there was training that could truly help leaders.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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So often the white leadership team played lip service to DEI programs, and yet the employees never heard or saw their behavior evolve.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t see a greater diversity of color and culture and thinking in our newly hired coworkers, but we all completed the DEI training.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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If your goal is to truly become more open-minded about humanity,<\/b> your neighbors, service-providers, coworkers and associates, you must first understand yourself and your personal layers of identity.\u00a0 With these skills, you realize that everyone has a story that is much more complex than you originally thought.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Further, by better understanding your own history, feelings and experiences, you naturally become more compassionate to others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Restorative Justice Foundations class is full of questions:<\/span><\/p>\r\n