There have been so many moments these past months when I wanted to pause, gather my thoughts, and tell you about the incredible things happening at EJUSA. I am finally getting that chance.
I told you a little about our incredible event with the Players Coalition in Las Vegas, just days before the Super Bowl. Since then, our program team has built an ambitious agenda of actions for partnership with the Coalition. The focus is on Louisiana, where the recently elected governor is driving a brutal legislative package that doubles down on punishment, especially of young people.
The success in that state of our community-led public safety strategies and our restorative justice work is a shining counterargument to the punishment-first mindset.
Just weeks after the Super Bowl, I was in Austin for South by Southwest, a multilayered conference and festival, to talk about the role the community can play in their public safety. We put this panel together, which featured Lisa Daniels, the founder of the Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practices; Greg Jackson, who works in the White House as the deputy director of the historic Office of Gun Violence Prevention; and our phenomenal moderator, James Cadogan, the executive director of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition.
This event was especially important because it brought us outside “the choir,” talking to people that are still learning about alternative approaches to violence and community-centered public safety. Here’s a sample of the conversation:
The first days of April took me, and several members of our team, to a community violence intervention conference hosted by the Department of Justice. I was honored to speak during a plenary session on the power and role of narrative in our efforts to transform what justice means in this nation.
Finally, just days ago, I took part in another fascinating conversation, this one about the potential risks that AI could have in the criminal legal system by perpetuating the racism and bias inherent in that system.
And those are just some of the highlights. We have more incredible work coming down the road. Our research team is putting together a fascinating report on the safety needs of a rural community in Louisiana that struggles with violence—our strategies aren’t just for cities. In the coming months, we will be selecting four new communities in which to launch our restorative justice work. And we’re unveiling a new version of our Trauma to Trust curriculum this summer.
If you’re inspired by this momentum, I hope you’ll consider making an investment today in the future of public safety.
PS: If you have a second and are interested in learning about a different aspect of our work, please read Taylor Mason’s blog about helping a new organization make its first roots strong. It’s a wonderful read.
