Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
A Living Commitment
Community and restorative justice, encompassing both community justice and restorative justice approaches, are grounded in the understanding that people exist in relationship with one another and that harm is best addressed collectively. These approaches center community voice and shared responsibility, using processes that prevent harm, respond to harm when it occurs, and support deep healing.
For NACRJ, this work is inseparable from a commitment to Diversity (whose voices are heard), Equity (how power is held), Inclusion (who is included), and Justice (how harm is created, experienced, and addressed). We understand these principles through the lens of belonging. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are not ends in themselves, but strategies that help create the conditions for belonging, one of the ultimate goals of community and restorative justice.
DEIJ as Lived Values, Not a Program
Like community and restorative justice, DEIJ did not begin when it became formalized or named. Long before policies, committees, or frameworks existed, people were already living these values, advocating for dignity, recognizing the beauty and necessity of diversity, and working toward a world with less harm and greater care for one another and for all life, and a deeper sense of belonging.
DEIJ is not a fixed definition or a checklist to complete. It is a way of being in relationship with ourselves, with one another, and with the world around us. These values and practices exist regardless of how they are applied, discussed, or challenged in any given moment.
Because DEIJ is complex, relational, and deeply human, language can only take us so far. Words can help us find shared meaning, but they can also limit understanding when reduced to slogans or sound bites. At NACRJ, we resist reducing DEIJ to something easily packaged or universally defined. Instead, we approach it as something to be lived, reflected on, practiced, and continually deepened over time.
How the DEIJ Committee Came to Be
In 2024, NACRJ’s Board of Directors affirmed the organization’s ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice through the adoption of a formal DEIJ Resolution. This resolution reflects values that have long guided NACRJ’s work and names an intentional commitment to living them more fully as the organization continues to grow.
As part of this resolution, NACRJ formed a DEIJ Committee composed of NACRJ members and community participants to help shape how these values are honored in meaningful and sustainable ways throughout all parts of the organization. The inaugural DEIJ Committee officially launched in January 2025.
This webpage is a project of the DEIJ Committee and is intended to share NACRJ’s approach to DEIJ, how it emerged, and how it continues to evolve in relationship with the broader community.
The Role of the DEIJ Committee
The DEIJ Committee plays a foundational role at this moment in NACRJ’s growth. While the association has always embraced principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, the organization continues to build internal infrastructure, programs, and practices that support these principles with clarity and care.
The committee is tasked with helping NACRJ:
- Reflect on how DEIJ shows up structurally, culturally, and relationally
- Identify strategies that support alignment between values and practice
- Create shared language that invites learning and connection
- Support dialogue, reflection, and accountability across the organization.
The inaugural DEIJ Committee is helping shape a long-term structure for this work, ensuring that future efforts remain grounded, relational, and reflective of NACRJ’s values.
An Invitation to Engage
We invite members of the NACRJ community and the broader public to think with us, engage with us, and stay in conversation with us about what it means to live these values in real and imperfect ways. Through dialogue, continuous reflection, and shared responsibility, we deepen our relationships with one another and with the work itself.
This is not about defining DEIJ once and for all. It is about remaining open, curious, and committed to becoming the kind of world where belonging is possible for all people.
At NACRJ, this commitment helps ensure these values are not only named, but actively practiced in how we lead, convene, and engage with others.