FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

World Trust 

Eric Blackerby • (415) 236-0009 • [email protected] 

 

Free Speech TV Contact

Nina Henderson Moore • (303) 542-4825 • [email protected]

 

World Trust Educational Services and Free Speech TV  to Host National Screening of Healing Justice 

Denver, CO, February 10, 2020 — World Trust Educational Services and Free Speech TV (FSTV) are hosting a nationwide virtual screening of Healing Justice on Thursday, February 13 at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. The special will air on Free Speech TV (DISH 9415, DIRECTV 348, and streaming on Roku, Apple TV, Sling TV and at freespeech.org at 7 pm ET, and again at 9 pm ET on FB Live with a conversation with the filmmaker, Shakti Butler, and a distinguished panel of experts on restorative justice – Sonya Shah, James Bell, and Eric Butler.

“Free Speech TV is honored to join forces with the visionary leadership of World Trust to lift up the power of restorative justice and its potential to build a more just, equitable world. “ said Ron Williams, Executive Director of Free Speech TV.  

Healing Justice explores the causes and consequences of the current North American justice system and its effect on marginalized communities. The film walks back through the history of violence that has led to our current system, bringing into focus the histories of trauma – on a personal, interpersonal, community, and generational level. This powerful documentary addresses the need for comprehensive criminal justice reform and the importance of healing and restorative practices.

“When we have large social problems, it’s absolutely necessary to have media and community-based organizations involved to help address those problems. We are delighted to have Free Speech TV, a network dedicated to social justice, and more than 160 local organizations around the country, join us in hosting watch parties for Healing Justice. In this way, we are multiplying our capacity to help people understand the school-to-prison pipeline, demonstrating the transformative power of healing, and empowering everyone to become more engaged within their sphere of influence,” explained Dr. Shakti Butler.  

The panelists for the discussion immediately following the 9 pm ET screening will include Dr. Butler;  Sonya Shah, Director, Ahimsa Collective and Associate Professor at the California Institute of Integral 

Studies; James Bell, Founder and President of the W. Haywood Burns Institute; and Eric Butler, Restorative Justice Educator and Activist.  

Virtual Screening and panel discussion are scheduled as follows (ET)

• Thursday,  February 13 – 7 pm ET on Free Speech TV.  Q&A with Shakti Butler immediately following the screening.  
• Thursday, February 13 – 9 pm ET.  Virtual screening with a live panel discussion immediately following.  Join on FB @freespeechtv, or email [email protected] to access the live discussion.  .  
• Healing Justice Broadcast only schedule – 
  • Thursday, Feb 13 – 7:00 pm
  • Thursday, Feb 20 – 3:00 am
  • Sunday, Feb 23 –  10:00 am
  • Sunday, Mar 1- 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday, Mar 3 -3:00 am
  • Sunday, Mar 8 – 10:30 pm

 

About World Trust Educational Services

Our mission is racial equity. Our movement is building. Join us. Through film and dialogue, World Trust Educational Services ignites courage and expands the capacity to create a world free from racism.  We envision a world coming into wholeness where transformative love and wisdom heal the human family from racism and separation.

Over our more than 25 years of operation, we have opened millions of hearts and minds. By offering the comprehensive capabilities and deep knowledge necessary to help you solve the most complex issues of your organization, our work helps heal and transform people, communities and institutions. To learn more, please join us at world-trust.org

About Free Speech TV

Free Speech TV is a national, independent, nonprofit news network committed to advancing progressive social change. As the alternative to media networks owned by billionaires, governments and corporations, Free Speech TV elevates unique perspectives through daily news programs, independent documentaries and special events coverage.

Free Speech TV reaches more than 38 million households nationally on DISH (channel 9415), DIRECTV (348), Sling TV, and over 150 community cable affiliates. Free Speech TV streams live 24/7 at freespeech.org, is available on-demand and streaming on Roku and Apple TV, and maintains an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Free Speech TV believes a more just and democratic world is possible when the media empowers people with the information they need to fight for what matters.  

 

PANELIST BIOS:

Dr. Shakti Butler – Healing Justice film director, Founder & President, World Trust Educational Services.

Shakti is an inspirational facilitator, trainer and lecturer who is sought after by schools, universities, public and private organizations, and faith-based institutions. Shakti’s work incorporates whole body learning through stories, art, movement and dialogue. Her current film/dialogue project, Healing Justice: Cultivating a World of Belonging, is intended to popularize a national conversation about justice, responsibility and healing.

 

sonya shah – Director, Ahimsa Collective &  Associate Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies. sonya shah initiated the Ahimsa Collective in 2016. She is also an associate professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Central to her core values are nurturing community belonging and collective care, healing, compassion, love and transforming harm. She is a Buddhist, a first-generation immigrant from the Northwestern part of India and feels most at home in nature. She has two amazing children who remind her what it means to be in love all of the time and currently resides in northern California.

James Bell – Founder and President of the W. Haywood Burns Institute.

The Burns Institute has worked in over 200 counties in 23 states to engage justice stakeholders and communities across the country to build equity in the administration of justice.  He has trained and addressed thousands of human services professionals and community members on a vision of well-being as the preferred and most effective way to achieve community safety. James has extensive experience in the international justice arena: he assisted the African National Congress in the administration of the juvenile justice system in South Africa and consulted with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. He has worked with government officials and activists on the human rights of children and restorative justice in Cambodia, Kenya, Brazil, New Zealand and China. He has appeared on numerous national television shows, conducted several radio interviews and written blogs for the Huffington Post. He has authored sections of published anthologies on school discipline, youth justice history, and health. James has extensive experience in the international justice arena: he assisted the African National Congress in the administration of the juvenile justice system in South Africa and consulted with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. He has worked with government officials and activists on the human rights of children and restorative justice in Cambodia, Kenya, Brazil, New Zealand and China.

 

Eric Butler – Restorative Justice Educator & Activist

Eric Butler, the primary character in the film Circles, is a Hurricane Katrina survivor and pioneer of the restorative justice movement. He relocated and finds work at an Oakland, California, high school enforcing his no-nonsense approach to counseling vulnerable Black and Latino teenagers. Butler’s impassioned efforts to nurture troubled youth and keep them in school, fighting racial discrimination by replacing snap suspensions and expulsions with gritty, intimate and honest mentoring. Butler is an inspirational father to his son and shares his love and compassion with many other young people. His leadership is stellar and he has made – and continues to make a difference in the school system by not only reducing suspensions and expulsions but guiding young people to success.