In his unfinished manuscript, Remember this House, James Baldwin wrote: “Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Baldwin’s observation applies to so many aspects of personal life and society.
- Doctors must diagnosis illnesses so treatment and healing can begin.
- People with substance use disorders must recognize their addiction before they can face it.
- Our society has found ways to address environmental issues from air and water pollution to species’ extinctions only after we recognized and acknowledged the damage we were doing.
- Countless videos capturing incidents of brutality against People of Color are sparking changes not seen since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
I thought of Baldwin’s quote especially when I saw this gentle but clear explanation of Cancel Culture LaVar Burton offered on ABC TV’s program, The View[1]. He explains he would rephrase Cancel Culture, to Consequences Culture. “Consequences are finally encompassing everybody in the society,” Burton says simply, “whereas they haven’t been, ever, in this country.” As the Black Lives Matter and Me-Too movements attest, our society has turned away from the inequity and injustice traditionally perpetuated against the least powerful. It is time we face these truths so we can change our culture for everyone.
Restorative justice (RJ) can help because it is all about facing and healing harm[2]. RJ engages people affected by a situation or incident, bringing them together to face and heal what has torn them apart. Restorative interventions begin with everyone answering the question: “What Happened?” In this phase each impacted person describes, and begins to face, the situation harming each of them.
Once all participants have told their stories and faced the situation of harm to themself and others, the second phase of the process begins with the question: “Who has been Affected and How?” This deeper level of examination helps identify the harm each endured and allows them to face that harm they have experienced and/or caused. This often builds empathy for each other as those affected unpack their shared experiences together.
But facing the harm does not end with empathy in restorative justice. The third, and defining, step in the restorative process comes when participants answer the question: “How do We Make This Right, As Much as Possible?” This collaborative phase empowers those affected to take action to change the situation or incident they have faced. This is where true healing can begin.
I have used the restorative philosophy and practices in schools with students from elementary to graduate school and with adults in many learning communities. Other RJ professional use it in prisons, detention centers, and deterrence facilities to keep people out of the criminal justice system. Institutions across the globe have applied the restorative philosophy in Truth and Reconciliation Commissions from South Africa and Rwanda to Canada and the US to address profound harm from apartheid and genocide to resettlement schools and forced assimilation of Indian children.[3] Demand is growing for similar commissions around Police Brutality and Environmental Degradation.
“Nothing can be changed until it is faced,” Baldwin wrote. This moment in history is forcing us to face situations of harm in place long before our nation began. Restorative Justice can help us face these situations and work together to heal and change them for us all.
[1] ABCTV, The View aired April 26, 2021 retrieved 4/27/2021 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxh0yG5ouRg&t=3s
[2] Howard Zehr, The Little Book of Restorative Justice (2002) Good Books, Intercourse, PA
[3] Fania Davis, The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice: Black Lives, Healing, and US Social Transformation (2019) Good Books, New York