Reflections on the 7th Citywide Roundtable on Restorative Approaches

On April 11, 2025, we held the 7th Citywide Roundtable on Restorative Approaches hosted at the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community Center in the Soundview neighborhood in the Bronx. Co-sponsors included: The Circle Keepers, BCWT Consulting, Radical Health, and The Center for Creative Conflict Resolution at OATH.

More than one hundred twenty people (including at least twenty-two youth) joined us at the Sotomayor Center from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The day opened with Steven Smith, Esquire (Owl) of the Ramapough Munsee Lenape Nation, who spoke in the Munsee language and grounded us through sharing his journey while reflecting on the present moment.

The theme of this Roundtable was Solidarity Beyond Crisis, which was amplified via a keynote address by Suzanne Hitchman and Nicole Lavonne Smith-Johnson of BCWT Consulting. They shared the origin of their partnership as a cross-racial consulting team, and they also solicited responses from participants on what solidarity means to them. Some responses included: ‘shared commitment,’ ‘intentional,’ ‘sharing power,’ and ‘holding tension.’ During the lunch break, participants enjoyed live drumming from Okai Musik and Home & Abroad, and a delicious lunch provided by Just Soul Catering. 

“[L]ast Friday delivered a beautiful blessing. RJI’s contribution is immeasurable in building and sustaining what is our life’s work right now.  What an honor and privilege to be changed by new and old friends and experience such a therapeutic physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual activation/stimulation…I also especially appreciated your lifting and emphasizing the size of the crises that we are living through right now and what the invitation is for our community.” – Daniel Coles

We closed the day with small community-building circles facilitated by experienced circle keepers within our network. The circle keepers included past and current members of our Youth Advocacy Council. Two circles were facilitated by youth for youth, including participants from Make the Road NY and New Settlement.

“The roundtable was a profound healing space in New York!” – youth participant

A core component of our Restorative Justice Leadership Pathway, the Citywide Roundtables serve as an entry point for those new to restorative justice and a reminder to those who are more deeply engaged in the work that they are not alone. 

We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make the day possible. We encourage you to review our digital program and enjoy the visuals via our photo gallery below.

All photos by Neha Gautam Photography