48,000 people die each year from gun violence. Last June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy announced that gun violence is a public health crisis and he’s not alone. One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approaches to addressing this public health crisis is advancing collaboration across multiple sectors. Collaboration through a public… Continue reading Shifting the Narrative: Addressing Gun Violence as a Public Health Epidemic
Tag: Trauma
Nurturing Mental Health Amidst the Fight for Justice
In the ongoing battle against systemic injustice grassroots leaders and social justice professionals are often at the forefront, tirelessly advocating for change. However, amidst the fight for equity and well-being, it’s crucial to emphasize mental health this May and every month for recovery and healing. Communities of color continue to be disproportionately affected by the… Continue reading Nurturing Mental Health Amidst the Fight for Justice
Beyond the Choir
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.… Continue reading Beyond the Choir
Why We Don’t Say “Gang”
For years there has been a constant debate around the word“gang” and what it means. For some, it means a group of close knit people, like when you say “the whole gang’s here.” For others, it’s a loaded term. It means a group of organized criminals. A quick Google image search will show you exactly… Continue reading Why We Don’t Say “Gang”
The Death Penalty in Decline
I have been working at EJUSA for almost 19 years, all of them spent beating back our legacy of killing people as punishment for harm they committed. State by state, we have repealed death penalty laws or convinced governors to halt executions to end this terrible, misguided practice that does not make us safer. Now,… Continue reading The Death Penalty in Decline
Equal Justice USA Welcomes the Restorative Justice Project
Spinoff from Impact Justice Completes EJUSA’s Practice Model with a Response to Harm that Aligns with Mission and Values Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) announced today that it was growing to absorb the Restorative Justice Project, which is being spun off by Impact Justice. The Project will join EJUSA’s existing slate of programs that are transforming… Continue reading Equal Justice USA Welcomes the Restorative Justice Project
How We See Each Other
Earlier this year, international opera singer Ryan McKinny emailed EJUSA out of the blue. He told us that he was performing the role of Joseph De Rocher in a new production of “Dead Man Walking” at The Metropolitan Opera. He wanted to use his platform, the biggest of his career to date, to elevate our… Continue reading How We See Each Other
Healing for Network Members
Have you ever thought about your relationship with your breath? To your body? For Black, brown, indigenous, queer, and trans people working on the frontlines of violence intervention, the relationship to the body and breath can be simultaneously sacred, tenuous, and uncertain. BlPOC communities have experienced generations of surveillance from police, forced labor, and bodily… Continue reading Healing for Network Members
The Next Frontier
In 2016, we launched a groundbreaking program in Newark, NJ, that brought community members and police officers into the same room to explore trauma — especially as it is connected to encounters with policing. And we wanted to explore the trauma of both groups. Since then hundreds of community members and police officers have gone… Continue reading The Next Frontier
Stop the Cycle of Trauma
Thirty years ago, my father was the victim of a brutal assault that had a lasting impact that no one in my family could appreciate in that moment. We all struggled in different ways. A big part of that struggle stemmed from not seeing ourselves as survivors of violence, and not having access to the… Continue reading Stop the Cycle of Trauma