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Witnessing & Withnessing as Transformative Justice Praxis

Thu, April 24, 8:00 to 9:30am MDT (8:00 to 9:30am MDT), The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Terrace Level, Bluebird Ballroom Room 2E

Abstract

As abolitionist organizing has shifted from margin to mainstream, there has been heightened interest in organizing to defund police and prisons, as well as non-punitive strategies for organizers to use prefiguratively. In Winnipeg, abolitionists see ongoing challenges as we struggle to address conflict, harm, and community accountability within our groups. We have organized the Abolitionist Futures Collective (AFC) to build relationships and capacity for repairing harm that stems from anti-Black& anti-Indigenous racism in organizing spaces. This paper shares reflections on how Transformative Justice (TJ) circles created spaces for witnessing and withnessing to facilitate relational repair and build intimacy within the AFC.

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