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Celebrating

Celebrating His Dream, Life and Legacy

 On Monday MLK Day and all week we celebrate the life and "dream" of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He worked tirelessly to realize his dream of pluralistic, just and diverse society grounded in respect, dignity and eauality. Ultimately gave his life to free African Americans and other minorities from racial opression in the United States.  His life and work embodied a desire for a more equitable and socially just society which lived up to the eloquent vision expressed in the U. S. Declaration of Indedendence (July 4, 1776):

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Two of Dr. King's most important and influential works during the Civil Rights Movement are presented here: 

• The "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC (Aug. 28, 1963)
• The "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" (April, 16, 1963)

His life and work changed America in profound and lasting ways. His message continues to call on us to "walk the walk" of peace, dialogue, and understanding to bridge differences and conflicts.  This week we honor Dr. Martin Luther King and his vision of a more just nation.  It is a vision NACRJ shares.

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In Remembrance

Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu - A Life of Faith, Service, and Social Justice Activism

Oct. 7, 1931 - Dec. 26, 2021

We mourn with South Africa and the world with the passing of Anglican Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu on Dec. 26, 2021.  Archbishop Tutu was a recipient of the Noble Peace Prize (1984) for his leadership of the non-violent campaign to end apartheid in South Africa.  He was a powerful moral voice globally for social justice, tolerance, and reparation of harm through dialogue and personal accountability. 

He was one of the architects, with President Nelson Mandela, and others of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The Commission was designed to provide a safe and structured process for personal expression, on the record, of the harm experienced by those subjected to apatheid oppression and the personal role and responsibility of those who enforced the government's racist apartheid policies.  Archibishop Tutu was appointed as the Commission's Chairperson. 

The TRC process also demonstrated the efficacy and power of restorative justice practices to address deep historical and social harm through dialogue in which those harmed and those responsible for harm shared their stories in each other's presence.  It is not hyperbole to suggest that the South African TRC may have averted a violent civil war of revenge.

We are ALL indepted to Archbishop Tutu's life of faith, service, and social justice activism.

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Announcements

The NACRJ Board of Directors has extended the deadlines for Early Bird registration and submission of Presentation Proposals to Jan. 7, 2022.

Over 1,600 people attended our last conference in 2019. The COVID pandemic required that we postpone the 2021 conference until 2022. By the time we meet again in Chicago it will have been three years since we last gathered for a National Conference. Visit the conference summary page to learn more about what you can expect when we are once again together.

The Call for Breakout Presentation Proposals for the 8th NACRJ Conference (Chicago, July 7-9, 2022) is now open. We invite you to submit a proposal to help showcase the breadth of community & restorative justice work being across the country, and beyond. Click here to learn more about the submission process and instructions for preparing a presentation proposal.  The deadline for submission of presentation proposals has been extended to Jan. 7, 2022.

REGISTER NOW to take advantage of the low Early Bird fees and submit your proposal.  The Early Bird registration period has also been extended to Jan. 7, 2022.

We hope you will be with us next July! If you cannot attend in person, we have three virtual options that would allow you to attend some sessions online.

If you have questions about conference registration or have difficulties registering for the conference, contact Mike Gilbert for assistance at either This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (210) 218-7159.

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Community Justice

Topic Circle Series: A Tier II Restorative Practice for School Communities

Created and written by Kathy Rockefeller, J.D.

Q: Restorative Practices are great for building community and resolving conflict, but how can Circles help when harmful behavior shows up as a “topic” of behavior, not an “incident”?

A: Use a Topic Circle Series (TCS)! This new tool, grounded in Restorative philosophy and Circle practice, helps students recognize how a behavior affects community and what they can do to make things better.

Many schools use a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to efficiently and equitably distribute student intervention and support resources. MTSS divides interventions into three “Tiers”.*

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