Is it ever relaxing and enlivening to get on a zoom call? Not usually for me, but Tea Time with Alicia on February 27th was a change. In the first minutes a tone of warmth and intimacy was established in a marked way. With teas in hand we shared smiles and short descriptions of our favorite flavors. It was amazing how soothing and connecting it was! It occurred to me that Alicia’a tea time is a water ceremony! Acknowledging connection to all life, even in our little zoom rooms.
I was very appreciative of Guest Speaker Malaika Eban’s short history of restorative justice and the work she continues to do through The Legal Rights Center. Learning the history and the continued viability of this practice from a woman of color was humbling. Forgiveness and wisdom at a time when there are many instances of judgement, blame and self-satisfied hatred in our society was so heartening. I especially benefited from the understanding I gained of the differences between restorative and transformative justice: restorative justice being a healing process that rebuilds, and transformative justice a process of creating a more caring future. I am grateful to Alicia for hosting this conversation, and for giving us the vision--along with the practical steps--for reform through healing in Ward 10 and in Minneapolis.
Bernadette lives in Lowry Hill East and is an active volunteer with MN 350's Stop Line 3 and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Campaign, and a board member for the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association. She is a local choreographer, and a passionate proponent of urban habitat restoration.