Healing and Restoration: Envisioning Justice Statewide Convening 2023

On Wednesday, September 20, Illinois Humanities hosted our second annual Envisioning Justice Statewide Convening, which gathered over 70 artists, humanists, and organizers at the I Hotel & Illinois Conference Center in Champaign for a day to reconnect and explore issues related to mass incarceration. In line with the theme of “healing and restoration,” guests were greeted with free wellness gift bags and invited to care for themselves and each other as we moved through a full day of presentations, rich conversation, and fellowship.  

The day commenced with an interactive keynote and Q&A featuring Mikki Kendall, author of Hood Feminism and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. In her remarks, Kendall advocated for more resources to serve the influx of migrants and the low-income communities they are joining, and touched upon many other issues pertinent to abolition, justice, and mass incarceration. Kendall invited questions from guests and held space for meaningful exchange within the spectrum of lived experiences in the room. This segment was a powerful demonstration of how to challenge one another with a spirit of curiosity, compassion, and mutual respect in our shared commitment to building a better world. 

A panel of local educators, organizers, and practitioners presented examples of justice–driven work happening in Champaign and how they are centering healing and restoration in their approaches. Moderator Sam Smith started off with an activity for everyone to get a better understanding of the diversity in the audience. We were joined by at least 20 future history teachers currently studying with panelist Dr. Asif Wilson, who spoke beautifully about the opportunities and complexities that arise as he guides young people, emphasizing that they will have the power to educate future generations on the nuanced history of the United States. We heard from Dr. Karen Simms, whose work is centered around trauma-informed care and the sustenance of collective joy and resilience. We also heard from East St. Louis native Sheldon Turner who is seeking to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline through his work in the community and as a career advisor in the Champaign school district. The panel was rounded out with Marlon Mitchell who shared about the work of longtime Envisioning Justice grantee partner FirstFollowers, which is focused on building strong and peaceful communities by providing support, guidance, and hope to formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones through peer mentorship. The conversation explored joy-centered demonstrations, the effects of intergenerational trauma, the stigma faced by the formerly incarcerated, and much more. 

Champaign-based restorative justice organization Radical Thought Collective facilitated two community circles for guests to be in conversation and process what was surfaced throughout the day. In the first circle session, we built rapport with one another by exploring our visions of a liberated future. In the second circle session, we reflected on the day’s activities and shared our new questions, visions, and insights. In these conversations, rural attendees challenged statewide organizations to better serve their regions; others discussed the merits of different economic systems; and participants thoughtfully shared a range of perspectives on diverse topics. The day concluded with a shared meal and tunes from the dynamic DJ LO Kari.