Unveiling the Darkness: The Osage Murders and the Pursuit of Justice In the heartland of America, amidst the rolling landscapes of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma, lies the ancestral home of the Osage Nation, revered as the “People of the Middle Waters.” Their journey from the verdant valleys of Ohio to the oil-rich plains of… Continue reading Unveiling the Darkness
Tag: justice
Unveiling the Roots
Introduction Welcome, dear readers, to a journey through the intertwined threads of history, injustice, and the pursuit of a more equitable future. At Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), we set our focus with precision on dismantling the pervasive structures of anti-Blackness ingrained within the American criminal legal system. Historical Roots and the Legacy of Virginia Slave… Continue reading Unveiling the Roots
Building on Love
As you’re reading this blog, I am in South Africa, celebrating something deeply special to me while keeping the inspiring life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King firmly in my heart. Fifteen years ago, my mother began a quest to build a church building here in Reiger Park, South Africa, for a wonderful community… Continue reading Building on Love
Evangelicals Reject a Fear-Based Criminal Legal System
I was at the train station in Charlottesville talking to two women about our mutual appreciation for the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, which they would see in DC. They shared about their work as librarians. I shared about Equal Justice USA and our desire for every community to be safe and healthy, where violence is… Continue reading Evangelicals Reject a Fear-Based Criminal Legal System
The Momentum is Real
I recently got a text message from one of the most prominent district attorneys in the country. He thanked me for writing this op-ed on what survivors of violence need — and why meeting those needs, especially in the communities most impacted, builds community safety. He told me that his attorneys were talking about it. … Continue reading The Momentum is Real
Newark’s Community-Centered Public Safety Ecosystem
In 2018, I left the Department of Justice after a dozen years as a prosecutor. I had seen our criminal legal system up close and came away certain that it was too big, too rigid, and too steeped in its racist origins to ever deliver true justice. I wanted to find the solutions to violence,… Continue reading Newark’s Community-Centered Public Safety Ecosystem
One Part of Transformation
After the dust settled on the 2022 elections, we spent the dark weeks of winter getting grips on the balance of political power across the country. And here we are. February. The plunge into legislative sessions is squarely upon us. Some states are already nearly done for the year, but the buzz is still loud… Continue reading One Part of Transformation
How Do I Talk to My Kids About Gun Violence?
Early last week I got an automated message on my phone from my kids’ school that there was an active shooter within two miles and that the school was under a shelter-in-place order from the Charlottesville Police Department. I went through the arc of emotions: fear to worry to curiosity to a trust in my… Continue reading How Do I Talk to My Kids About Gun Violence?
Dr. King wanted us to act
When I was in college, I served on a committee planning the University of Michigan’s renowned Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium. That year, Michigan brought Dr. Cornel West, the philosopher, activist, and professor, to campus as the symposium’s keynote speaker. He was a hero of mine (and still is). As a planning committee… Continue reading Dr. King wanted us to act
Imagining the Possibility of Safety
At the beginning of the summer, our executive director, Jamila Hodge, sat on a panel in a crowded gymnasium in Newark talking about transforming the justice system. “The system is going to do what it’s going to do,” she said. “It is a machine, and it was built for a purpose, and that was to… Continue reading Imagining the Possibility of Safety