Over 400 years after the first enslaved African set foot in Virginia, the United States has yet to establish any formal mechanism to address the legacies of systemic racism in the country. These measures – generally known as “transitional justice” processes – can include formal criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, reparations programs, as well as various kinds of institutional reforms, and have been implemented in countries around the world from South Africa and Bosnia to Colombia.
To spark action on transitional justice in America, on June 16, 2022 the Coalition will launch Transitional Justice in America, a six-episode podcast series that raises awareness of how these processes can help the United States correct course and foster healing.
As trusted entities in their communities, Sites of Conscience can play an integral role in providing opportunities for communities to discuss issues around truth, justice and reconciliation. The podcast will feature conversations between three US-based Sites of Conscience focusing on restorative history and racial justice with Sites of Conscience members in Colombia, The Gambia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka – all countries that have or are currently undergoing transitional justice processes. Among the many topics explored are intergenerational trauma, the role of communities in fostering change, and how any future processes can ensure that the needs of everyday people affected by systemic racism are addressed.
The first episode, featuring an interview with activist Jamira Burley on the need for and the state of transitional justice in the United States, will be available here on June 16, 2022. For more information, please attend our launch webinar, also on June 16th. To register, click here.
In collaboration with Better Lemon Creative Audio.
Join seven Sites of Conscience members around the globe as they discuss the opportunities and challenges of launching transitional justice processes in America.
The Coalition speaks with human rights activist Jamira Burley on the state of transitional justice in America.
Adriana Serrano Murcia from Centro de Memoria Paz y Reconciliación, a Site of Conscience in Bogotá, discusses bridging differences with the Coalition’s Ereshnee Naidu-Silverman.
Radhika Hettiarachchi from Sri Lankan member Herstories talks about facing difficult histories with Ana Edwards from Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project.
Gambian member Fatou Baldeh shares advice on including women and other marginalized groups in TJ processes with Dr. Amber Johnson of the Justice Fleet, a Site of Conscience in Missouri.
Lebogang Marishane, from Site of Conscience Constitution Hill in South Africa, talks with Farah Tanis of New York’s Museum of Women’s Resistance about the role of accountability in TJ processes.
