Where can we have these conversations that are safe?

Last night, we sponsored a Saint Anthony Session on Justice panel titled, Prudence and Peace: A Panel on Justice in Minnesota. Father Daniel Griffith moderated this panel, which will included Lourdes’ own Sergio Barrera, Marshall Collier, Ryan Hamilton and Marie Pillai. This is a diverse group in terms of their ages, backgrounds and professions, but when it came to telling their stories, this panel of people of color had a number of things in common. Their comments were personal, authentic and much appreciated.

This afternoon was Day Two of the Catholic Mobilizing Network Virtual conference, Harm, Healing and Human Dignity. I caught the breakout session titled, Racial Justice and Healing in Restorative Justice Practice, with Kayla Jackson, Ralph McCloud, Ryan Lents and Sheryl Wilson. Each panelists brought wonderful insights to the conversation, as they described their work as practitioners in this area. I found myself taking a lot of notes as Sheryl spoke. She contributed a chapter to Colorizing Racial Justice and that title is on our reading list for my PAX 571 Restorative Justice class at EMU this week. Sheryl’s chapter is titled “Calling Out Whiteness.” Our professor for the class, Dr. Johonna Turner also contributed to the book with a chapter titled, “Creating Safety for Ourselves.”

As Sheryl described her work in various settings and the points of intersection, she asked a question that caught my attention. She described how conversations about racism and restorative justice were sometimes awkward or down right frowned upon in certain settings. The workplace, even faith-based education setting were, in her experience, sometimes challenging locations to start the conversation. She asked, “Where can we have these conversations that are safe?” and went on to describe churches and the legacy churches have had, historically in the Civil Rights movement as the place where people came together to talk about issues of racial inequality. It reminded me of a lecture earlier this semester and the topic of “engaged spirituality” was raised by Johonna. She noted the unique role churches play, a recognized institution, separate and distinct from the criminal justice system in a community. A critical issues paper is the final assignment in our course and my thesis statement is starting to reveal itself!