Work of Community Conferencing Center, an OSI Grantee, Is Featured

The work of Lauren Abramson, a former Open Society Institute Baltimore Community Fellow who founded a restorative justice program that has grown exponentially in the last 10 years, is featured in an article in the Washington Post Magazine. "The Truth About Forgiveness," by Karen Houppert, tells the story of Bernard Williams, a man whose son was killed 15 years ago. The Community Conferencing Center facilitated two conversations between Mr. Williams and Mr. Norman, the man who was in prison for killing his son. Mr. Williams subsequently spoke at a parole hearing in favor of Mr. Norman's release.

There will also be a "Live Chat" on WEAA-88.9 FM on Monday, March 23, from noon to 1 p.m. Bernard Williams, Lauren Abramson, and Karen Houppert will take questions and comments and talk about the story and the work. 

Abramson and her facilitators have witnessed countless moments of courage, healing, compassion, and transformation in the wake of crime and conflict. They have worked with over 7,000 Baltimore residents, all of whom "have taken the risk to talk to each other, and in doing so have found a sense of healing and have created their own lasting resolutions to very complicated situations. We hope everyone in this great democracy of ours can appreciate that we do, in fact, have ways to provide justice that not only promote accountability, but that include victims in deciding outcomes, and that help heal the communities affected by these incidents."