Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, a focal point during the Civil Rights Movement, I had been to museums and monuments around the city that honor activists and organizers from the sixties. I’ve read every plaque, and I know every story where a Black person was denied access to a building during segregation. The steps leading… Continue reading A Review of Who We Are
Tag: Trauma
A Personal Experience with Trauma to Trust
When someone joins the EJUSA team, the organization works to get them to Trauma to Trust quickly to experience the exploration of trauma and its impact on people and communities. My turn came in the fall of 2021. I hit the road, in central New Jersey, at 6 a.m. to get to the training center in… Continue reading A Personal Experience with Trauma to Trust
Remarkable Women
Reimagining Justice This Month: February Reimagining Justice This Month highlights stories about effective responses to violence — responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism. Remarkable Women: Tonja Myles, NBC Local 33 In this spotlight on one of EJUSA’s Trauma & Healing Network members, Tonja Myles, we can see what is… Continue reading Remarkable Women
Podcasts on the Possibility of Justice
Recently, the New York Times emailed about “6 true-crime podcasts on the dark side of romance.” These six podcasts, they tell us, are “true stories of abusers, liars and romantic con artists who ruthlessly exploit their victims’ desire for love.” The descriptions of the stories follow a well-worn path, pulling us in with the intrigue… Continue reading Podcasts on the Possibility of Justice
Failed by the System
Melissa Lucio is likely innocent, but Texas plans to execute her on April 27 anyway. There’s a real risk that Texas might execute an innocent person next month. Melissa Lucio was tried, convicted, and, in 2008, sentenced to death for a crime that likely never happened. Now, a broad coalition of organizations and experts are… Continue reading Failed by the System
To fight crime, build an ecosystem of safety
Reimagining Justice This Month: February Reimagining Justice This Month highlights stories about effective responses to violence — responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism. To fight crime, build an ecosystem of safety, The Advocate In Baton Rouge, like cities around the country, the current public safety system’s focus on enforcement… Continue reading To fight crime, build an ecosystem of safety
Transformation in a Reform World
Reflections from an EJUSA Intern
Kasandra Mojica earned one of two Shari Silberstein Reimagining Justice Internships in the fall 2021, working in communications. Throughout her time at EJUSA, she learned about our vision to address harm in a trauma-informed way, instead of with punishment, and she wrote this piece as a culmination of her internship. Kasandra graduated from Rutgers University… Continue reading Reflections from an EJUSA Intern
The Momentum Continues
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The past two decades have brought a steady, state-by-state dismantling of the death penalty, and 2021 proved no different. We saw the first former Confederate state repeal the death penalty when Virgina Governor George Northam signed the state’s new law into the books. That stroke… Continue reading The Momentum Continues
Relieved…but we have far to go
In this moment, I’m thinking of Ahmaud Arbery’s parents. No doubt, they are feeling relief. The men who took Ahmaud away from them and their family and community are being held responsible. Despite an abundance of evidence, like so many, I was nervous about this verdict. Our justice system has signaled countless times throughout history… Continue reading Relieved…but we have far to go