Transitional Justice in America

Transitional justice describes the measures countries put into place to address legacies of conflict and human rights abuses. In the absence of any formal transitional justice mechanism in the US, Sites of Conscience are ideal places to facilitate and foster discussion around truth, justice, and reconciliation. To help American sites learn from the work already being done around the world, we paired up US-based Sites of Conscience with Sites of Conscience members in Colombia, The Gambia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka - all countries that have, or are currently undergoing transitional justice processes. In this series, participants will revisit these conversations, sharing what they have learned with you, our listeners. This podcast is a program of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Production by Better Lemon Creative Audio. Transcripts will be available for all episodes.

What is transitional justice? And what is the state of transitional justice in America? To kick off this series, social justice activist Jamira Burley is interviewed by Angi Williams. They discuss justice, harm reduction, healing for Black Americans, and what America can learn from transitional justice initiatives around the world. Transcript: tinyurl.com/tjamerica1 or sitesofconscience.org

How can we find our common humanity in the wake of conflict and violence? In this episode, Ereshnee Naidu-Silverman interviews Adriana Serrano Murcia about the work of transitional justice in Colombia. Colombia is one of the first countries in the world to have formally recognized LGBTQ communities as part of a transitional justice process; Adriana discusses how this came to be as well as the work she and others are doing through The Memory, Peace and Reconciliation Center of Bogotá to help former militants connect back to society through creative writing. Transcript: tinyurl.com/tjamerica2 or sitesofconscience.org

The past–history, remembrance, and memory–doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It continues to affect each of us in the present in so many ways. In this episode, Radhika Hettiarachchiand Ana Edwards discuss historical memory and reclaiming spaces–both physical and figurative. Radhika discusses her work collecting personal narratives of mothers from Sri Lanka about the conflict and Ana makes connections to her work reclaiming and preserving Richmond’s African Burial Ground. Transcript: tinyurl.com/tjamerica3 or sitesofconscience.org

Sexual and gender-based violence is a public health crisis. Racism is a public health crisis. What steps we can take to begin dismantling health and gender inequity and heal from its effects? In this episode, Fatou Baldeh discusses her work in The Gambia with women who suffered violence and abuse under the Jammeh regime and Dr. Amber Johnson makes connections to their own work, which addresses racism and public health inequities in the US. Transcript: tinyurl.com/tjamerica4or sitesofconscience.org

Transitional justice is a continuous process. Even where there have been formal truth commissions–such as in South Africa–more work needs to be done and there are still communities left out. In this episode, Lebogang Marishane of Constitution Hill in South Africa discusses the ongoing truth and reconciliation efforts post-Apartheid and Farah Tanis makes connections to her work seeking truth and justice for Black women in America. Transcript: tinyurl.com/tjamerica5or sitesofconscience.org

So far in this series, you’ve heard US-based transitional justice practitioners dialogue with fellow activists in Colombia, The Gambia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Common themes emerged from these conversations, and in this episode, we discuss these ideas and how you can apply transitional justice ideas to your own work. Tune in for a practical yet inspiring conversation on everyday activism, safe spaces, the power of storytelling, the role of technology, and the future of transitional justice work. Transcript: tinyurl.com/tjamerica6 or sitesofconscience.org