While DEI is under attack, restorative justice holds its ground

Under the Trump administration, the space for diversity, equity, and inclusion is shrinking. Federal dollars are drying up, and programs that once opened doors are disappearing. In some places, even the idea of equity is depicted as a problem.

Practitioners of restorative practices say that's why it matters so much right now. But restorative justice is not DEI. It does not sit in a binder or hide inside a grant report. It lives in people — survivors and those who have caused harm sitting together, telling the truth, trying to mend what was broken. It is harder to measure, but also harder to erase, because it is built on relationships.

While restorative justice is not the same as DEI, both often speak to the same communities — those historically marginalized by race, class, or circumstance. Where DEI seeks to create fairer systems, restorative justice offers a way to repair harm when those systems fall short.

Angel McKissic has been doing this work for years. She is a psychotherapist, a researcher, and the founder of the Metro Detroit Restorative Justice Network. Now, as director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State Law, she trains Detroiters to bring these practices into schools, courtrooms, and neighborhoods. Her work reminds us that justice is not just punishment. It can also be healing and accountability.

She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to demystify some of the haze around restorative justice and why she believes it could transform Detroit communities and the criminal justice system more broadly.

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"The Metro" covers local and regional news and current affairs, arts and cultural events and topics, with a commitment to airing perspectives and uncovering stories underreported by mainstream media in Detroit.