Walk for Unity & Justice

Walk for Unity & Justice

We are asking a few of our key partners to rally their friends, family, and networks to support our work. By becoming a fundraiser for The Dispute Resolution Center, you will help keep adults and youth our of the criminal legal system through Restorative Justice in Washtenaw County, and you'll help your friends be part of lasting and impactful change.

Starting a fundraiser is easy to do! We'll even give you all the tools you'll need to make a difference. With your help we can keep people out of the criminal legal system, keep families together, and bring healing and wholeness to our communities.

ABOUT BRIDGING 23 UNITY WALK

Bridging US 23 is an initiative developed by The Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) in collaboration with The Association for Youth Empowerment (AYE). It is dedicated to transforming the way the people of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and the surrounding counties relate to one another. Bridging US 23 was founded on the belief that when people unite for the greater good, positive change is inevitable. Our ultimate goal is to connect communities, inspire compassion and take action to call forth the beloved community.

The Unity Walk was born out of a Bridging 23 restorative community circle and has been spearheaded by community members as a fundraiser for the DRC since 2017. It was built on the foundation of taking action and bringing public visibility to the inequities between the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor communities.

WHAT IS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE?

The DRC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, community dispute resolution program partnering with the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office to offer a healing approach outside of the criminal legal system.

The Restorative Justice Program is an alternative to the traditional criminal legal system that offers a survivor centered and healing model to address wrongdoing, harm or crime.

The restorative justice approach is deeply rooted in North American Indigenous cultural and sacred practices to address harm or wrongdoing between all involved.

Restorative or healing circles aim to:

• Create a safe space for all involved to address the harm(s)
• Provide a safe space for the survivor to be heard
• Provide a safe space for the person who committed the harm(s) to make amends
• Assist the survivor and the one who caused the harm to create a plan for re-entering their communities.
• Create understanding, connection, and reconciliation.

HONORING BLACK HISTORY AND LEGACY

We continue to honor local black history in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti and bring forth the contributions of the black community - past, present, and future.

We want to ensure that black legacies and voices in our community are not erased from our local history; that the truth of black history is celebrated and honored with reverence; and to embrace and celebrate the deep cultural roots of the black community that enriches us all.

For this year's walk, we are proud to partner and end in fellowship and fund at the historic Brown Chapel A.M.E Church in Ypsilanti.

IN 1843, Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church came into existence as a mission without a name - 22 yrs after slaves were freed.

As the Second oldest active A.M.E. Church in Michigan, it is likely that Brown Chapel at Adams and Buffalo assisted in the safe travel through Ypsilanti visit the underground railroad of many slaves on their way to the “Promised Land” of Canada.

All proceeds support the DRC's programming.