Bridge Builders

CONNECTING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND ANTI-RACIST RESEARCH WITH PRACTICE

We are a collection of scholars and practitioners who are dedicated to supporting schools and educators who want to use restorative justice (RJ) to support antiracism and social justice work. As you read this newsletter, please note that any blue and underlined text is a clickable link to provide more context. Additionally, each newsletter edition will be accompanied by a podcast episode.

We believe that racial and restorative justice are necessary components to creating compassionate, inclusive, and anti-racist schools. This is important, not only when thinking about better approaches to disciplinary practices – particularly for Black students and students of color – but also when supporting conflict resolution, relationship building, and safe environments for everyone. The orientation of the newsletter views school-based restorative justice (SBRJ) not as a discrete set of practices but as a ‘paradigm shift’. We hold that RJ has the potential to be revolutionary and offers a mechanism through which to address structural racism in schools.

What are our Goals?

The goal of this newsletter is to translate research on SBRJ to support practitioners in anti-racist implementation of RJ. We aim to answer the question, ‘How can restorative justice best be used to create racially just schools?’ Our hope is that through each published issue, we can connect the bridge between theory and practice to best support schools and young people.