The Second Story: From Revenge to Restorative Justice
In this moment of a national uprising against racial injustices, this second step in our New Story Journey - moving from narratives of violent retribution to ones of restorative justice - is even more timely. We are honored to welcome our friend and teacher Melvin Bray—an activist, storyteller, father, husband, and mentor to many—as he guides us in a discussion on overcoming our societal addiction to racism and structures of injustice, replacing them, instead, with beloved community.
Join us this coming Tuesday evening, June 9, from 7:00-8:30pm (Central), for a journey of recovery from our social addiction to the false narrative that some lives are worth more than others. Together we will learn practical tools for change, as Melvin introduces us to his 12-Step Model Toward Beloved Community through which we can acquire four key behavioral gains: critical analysis, self-awareness, cultural competence, and better practices.
We'll also be joined by one of our favorite New Story performers, transcendental folk musician K Stellar Dutcher, for a moving musical performance.
When
The interactive webinar including a live conversation will be offered on Tuesday, June 9, from 7-8:30 pm CDT. A replay of that recorded video, together with live follow-up conversation among participants will be offered Saturday, June 13, from 1-2:30 pm CDT.
How it Works
This Conversation has two components:
1. An online discussion group hosted right here on this event page within our New Story Community social network. Simply click on the Activity Feed link to the left. There you can post status updates, comments, links, articles, images, and more. Or use the event's dedicated Chat Room where you can chat in real time with any of the other participants. We encourage you to use these features to connect with your fellow community members before, during, and after the event itself.
2. A 90-minute interactive video event hosted on Zoom, a video conferencing service you can use on your computer, tablet, or mobile device. Once you've registered for this event (or for the whole New Story Journey) you will find the Zoom links by clicking on either the "Live" or "Remix" sessions on the Event Details page. Then simply click the Zoom link at the designated time to join the Conversation.
Our Guides
Melvin Bray is an Emmy® award-winning storyteller, social entrepreneur, and author who lives with his 1 spouse, 3 teenagers, 2 dogs, and garden in southwest Atlanta GA. Author of BETTER: Waking Up to Who We Could Be, Melvin helps communities of goodwill find better stories and scripts that move them toward equity, diversity, and inclusion (collabyrinthconsulting.com).
K Stellar Dutcher is a musician, facilitator and activist based in Austin, TX. They are the founder of transcendental folk band The Seventh String and have led workshops in human potential, interpersonal connection and systemic self-awareness since 2005. They care about unlearning oppression, a long view of history, and liberation for everyone. You can find them at www.patreon.com/stellarsings.