Peacemaking, and peacemaking circles, have been used by our indigenous ancestors since time immemorial. It has been a "way of life" for resolving disputes by consensus, "talking it out and making things right." The sacred space of the peacemaking circle allows for fairness and healing to the individual, family and community. "Life comes from it, " as shared by Honorable Robert Yazzie, (Diné) Chief Justice Emeritus of Navajo Nation. Also, there is a spiritual connection, a collective wisdom and strength that brings about courage, change, and healing for resolution. Part of the healing process is sharing your story in the sacred space with others who care. Peacemaking Colloquium 2023 will reaffirm our core values and set a sacred space to learn from each other. Through the peacemaking process we are moving towards indigenous justice and a healthier vibrant united community. "Sovereignty begins at home; so does peacemaking.”
September 28 4pm-6pm MT Hosted By Christy Chapman Dr. Carma Corcoran - Guest Speaker
September 29 9am-4pm MT Hosted by Rainey Enjady Honorable Timothy P. Connors - Keynote Speaker Honorable Little Wind - Capstone Speaker International Peacemakers Panel Justice Beyond Punishment
| 4-4:10 PM MT | Welcome, Opening Prayer and Purpose | Christy Chapman |
|---|---|---|
| 4:10-4:40 PM MT | Introductions | |
| 4:40-5:15 PM MT | Book Showcase: The Incarceration of Native American Women: Creating Pathways to Wellness and Recovery Through Gentle Action Theory | Dr. Carma Corcoran |
| 5:15-5:40 PM MT | Audience Reflection | |
| 5:40-6:00 PM MT | Meet and Greet |
| 9-9:10 AM MT | Welcome, Opening Prayer and Purpose | Host Rainey Enjady |
|---|---|---|
| 9:10-10:10 AM MT | Peacemaking 101 | Peacemakers: Honorable Cheryl Demmert Fairbanks, Justice, Christy S. Chapman, Rainey Enjady, Honorable Robert Yazzie, Chief Justice Emeritus Navajo Nation |
| 10:15-11:15 AM MT | Keynote: Peacemaking Alliances | Honorable Timothy Connors, Judge, Washtenaw State Court |
| 11:15-11:45 AM MT | Post-keynote Reflections | |
| 11:45 AM-12:15 PM | Lunch | |
| 12:15-1:00 PM | Peacemaking Beyond Borders | Moderator: Margaret Connors. Panelists: Brandy Gallagher, Dr. Chinwe Umegbolu, Dr. Roisin O'Shea |
| 1:00-1:45 PM | Building Alliances for Healing Beyond Punishment | Moderator: Cameron Rasmussen, Richard Cruz, Sonya Shah, Rasheed Locke Stanley, June Lee |
| 1:45-2:15 PM | Audience Reflection | |
| 2:15-2:45 PM | Introduction, Peacemaking Video, and Questions/Comments | Honorable Cheryl Demmert Fairbanks, Peacemaker |
| 2:45-3:05 PM | Reflections on the video | |
| 3:05-3:15 PM | Break | |
| 3:15-3:45 PM | Capstone: Shifting From An Adversarial Mindset to One of Healing and Transformation | Honorable David LittleWind, Chief Judge, Mescalero Apache Court |
| 3:45-3:55 PM | Survey | |
| 3:55-4:00 PM | Closing Prayer/Song | Shandiin Yazzie |
Dr. Corcoran is the director of the Indian Law Program. Her PhD dissertation explored the issue of Incarceration and Native American Women, “The Juxtaposition of Gentle Action Theory and Traditional Ways of Knowing and Being: In the Provision of Services to Native American Women Experiencing Incarceration”. Her Bachelor and Master degrees focused on cross cultural communication, conflict resolution and public administration. She guest lectures and teaches at Portland State University. She is the former Board Chair of Red Lodge Transition Services and has also served on the board of the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University. She currently serves on the boards of The Women’s Justice Project, The Law Enforcement Contacts Policy & Data Review Committee (LECC), and Transforming Justice for Victims and Survivors through Victim Assistance and Restorative Justice Partnerships.
Judge Tim Connors has been a State Court Judge since 1991. For eleven of those years he served as a Chief Judge. He has served by appointment as Judge Pro Tem for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. Judge Connors is the Presiding Judge of the Washtenaw County Peacemaking Court. He also presides over cases in the Civil and Domestic Divisions of the Washtenaw County Trial Court and handles the Neglect and Abuse docket for the Juvenile Court.
Judge Connors is the author of Our Children are Sacred, Why the Indian Child Welfare Act Matters; American Bar Association Judges Journal, Spring 2011 and Crow Dogs vs. Spotted Tail: Case Closed?; Michigan Bar Journal, July 2010. He co-authored, TRIBAL COURT PEACEMAKING A Model for the Michigan State Court System? Michigan Bar Journal, June 2015.
Judge Connors is incorporating Peacemaking principles, philosophies and procedures shared by Tribal communities into State Court justice systems. This effort is supported by the Michigan Supreme Court. Cases identified as potential beneficiaries of Peacemaking are those where the litigants have ongoing relationships after the court’s adjudication is complete.
Cheryl Demmert Fairbanks, Esq. (Tlingit-Tsimshian) works in the area of Indian law as an attorney and tribal court of appeals justice. Currently she is the Interim Executive Director of the UNM Native American Budget and Policy Institute. She recently was in Oregon serving as the Walter R. Echo-Hawk Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at Lewis and Clark; and also she was a visiting Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico’s Southwest Indian Law Clinic. Formerly a Partner at Cuddy McCarthy LLP, she had a general practice in Indian law, including tribal-state relations, personnel, tribal courts, peacemaking and family conferencing, mediation, family, school, education, and indigenous law.
Also, Ms. Fairbanks was a partner with the law firm of Roth, VanAmberg, Rogers, Ortiz, Fairbanks & Yepa, LLP, where she specialized in Indian law. She also worked as senior policy analyst with the New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs in the area of state-tribal relations. There, she was instrumental in establishing the Indian Child Welfare Desk, New Mexico Office of Indian Tourism, the University of New Mexico Indian Law Clinic, and the passage of the New Mexico Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
Ms. Fairbanks is Tlingit-Tsimshian and was born in Ketchikan, Alaska. She obtained her BA from Fort Lewis College in 1969 and her JD in 1987 from the University of New Mexico. Prior to her law career, she served as a teacher for the Albuquerque Public Schools, Zia Day School, and Administrator for Acomita Day School and the Albuquerque/Santa Fe Indian Schools.