Season 1, Episode 3: Undoing the First Harm: Settlers in Restorative Justice w/Edward Valandra

The Restorative Lens

In this episode, hosts LTomay Douglas and Alanna Ojibway speak with Edward Valandra, Waŋbli Wapȟáha Hokšíla, who is both an author and editor for Colorizing Restorative Justice. His chapter, “Undoing the First Harm: Settlers in Restorative Justice,” gives voice to the need for settlers to recognize the ways that restorative justice too often fails to address the first harm: which is the theft and continued occupancy of Indigenous land. Through honesty and education, Edward sheds light on the contradicting relationship between RJ practitioners instilling restorative practices/values, while at the same time failing to acknowledge or take accountability for ways that settlers continue to benefit from the stolen land. He discusses practical ways that educators and practitioners can take action and bring dialogue of the First Harm into restorative spaces.