Today, an amazing story from Wisconsin demonstrates the healing power of restorative justice and reminds us that our shared humanity is something to be thankful for. Happy #Thanksgiving, everyone: For 10 years after her son was killed, Afriqah Imani stewed in an unrelenting rage. She ached with a longing for her son and burned with contempt for the man who shot him. That man, 42-year-old Gabriel Smith, was released on parole Tuesday after serving 14 years of a 25-year prison term for second-degree intentional homicide. Imani and Smith held one another in an emotional embrace at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School on Tuesday — a reunion brokered by the law schools Restorative Justice Project. This is a blessing, truly a blessing, said Imani, who has forgiven Smith and supported his release. Smiths mother, Mary Ann Smith-Jackson, wrapped her arms around both of them. Tuesdays meeting was the culmination of a spiritual journey for Imani, a devout Muslim. In our faith, if you have ill-will toward someone — if you cannot forgive — you have a dark spot on your heart that will turn to rust, just like a rusty nail, she said. I didnt want to die with this dark spot on my heart. Jonathan Scharrer, director of the Restorative Justice Project, said Imanis ability to forgive is unusual. Founded in 1987 as the Victim-Offender Reconciliation Project/Program, its now working with victims and offenders in 17 institutions around the state. The organization has coordinated hundreds of dialogues between victims and offenders. There is no expectation in these dialogues that there will be any forgiveness. We dont bring it up, Scharrer said. Nevertheless, the process can lead to transformative results, Scharrer said. People recognize the fundamental humanity in each other. And in lots of ways people are changed for the positive. It touches my heart, said Smith-Jackson, who had picked up her son from the Gordon Correctional Center in northern Wisconsin for the long ride back to Mississippi. When you lost your son, I felt I lost my son too. Her son told Imani again and again Tuesday how he regretted the events of that day in 1999. You have to forgive yourself, she told him. I just wanted you to be able to come back to your family, because life is short.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 12:32:01 +0000
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