Where Do we Go From Here? A Conversation on the Future of Justice and Peacebuilding Efforts in the U.S and Globally.

As the pandemic continues to exacerbate injustice around the world and other drivers of conflict, the imperative for innovative strategies to achieve sustainable peace and justice has never been greater. Please Join us virtually on Wednesday, December 8th at 6:30PM ET for a conversation on the future of Justice and Peacebuilding efforts in the U.S and globally. This discussion is organized as part of the DC Peace Team's 10-year anniversary. Funds raised will help advance our mission to build peaceful and just societies.

Feature panelists

Maria J. Stephan, Chief organizer and Co-Leader, The Horizon Project. Co-Author: Why Civil Resitance Works.

Eleni Christidis, UCP Practitioner, DC Peace Team

Tim Chapman, Board Chair, European Forum for Restorative Justice 

Jamal Jones, Restorative Justice Expert Facilitator, DC Peace Team 

Anita "JoJo" Shifflet, Author, Indian Law Attorney, and Activist 

Moderated by Dr. Eli McCarthy, PhD

Learn more about the panelists below.

Maria J. Stephan

Maria Stephan’s career has bridged the academic, policy, and non-profit sectors, with a focus on the role of civil resistance and nonviolent movements in advancing human rights, democratic freedoms, and sustainable peace in the US and globally. She is currently the Chief Organizer and co-leader of the Horizons Project, an initiative housed at the New Venture Fund focused on strengthening relationships and collaboration between the peacebuilding, social justice, and democracy communities in the US. 

Earlier, Stephan founded and directed the Program on Nonviolent Action at the U.S. Institute of Peace, overseeing applied research, global programming, and policy engagement focused on the nexus of nonviolent action and peacebuilding.  Stephan is the co-author (with Erica Chenoweth) of Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, which was awarded the 2012 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Prize by the American Political Science Association for the best book published in political science, and the 2013 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Their second book together, The Role of External Support in Nonviolent Campaigns: Poisoned Chalice or Holy Grail? was published by ICNC Press in 2021. Stephan is the co-author of Bolstering Democracy: Lessons Learned and the Path Forward (Atlantic Council, 2018); the co-editor of Is Authoritarianism Staging a Comeback? (Atlantic Council, 2015); and the editor of Civilian Jihad: Nonviolent Struggle, Democratization and Governance in the Middle East (Palgrave, 2009). She has published articles in the Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Just Security, Foreign Policy, and Waging Nonviolence, among other outlets.

From 2009-14, Stephan was lead foreign affairs officer in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, receiving two Meritorious Service Awards for her work in Afghanistan and Turkey. She later co-directed the Future of Authoritarianism initiative at the Atlantic Council. Stephan directed policy and educational initiatives at the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict and has taught at Georgetown University and American

University. She received

Eleni Christidis

Eleni Christidis is a DC resident with a background in political science and law. She joined the Unarmed Civilian Protection Committee of the DC Peace Team this fall and has done weekly deployments to the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza and the Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market. She's enjoyed drawing on her Spanish language skills, as well as her long-standing interest in mediation and conflict resolution, to build relationships with and broker understanding among community members during her deployments.

Tim Chapman

Tim Chapman spent 25 years working in the Probation Service in Northern Ireland. He played an active part in developing effective probation practice in the UK particularly through the publication of Evidence Based Practice, written jointly with Michael Hough and published by the Home Office. His ‘Time to Grow’ model for the supervision of young people has influenced youth justice practices. Since 2002 he has contributed to the development of restorative justice practice in both the community and statutory sectors in Northern Ireland. He lectured for 10 years at

Ulster University in Northern Ireland developing and directing the Masters programme in Restorative Practices. During that time, he has trained hundreds of people from various criminal justice, social work and civil society agencies to become restorative practitioners. He has published widely on restorative justice and effective practice and has conducted significant research into restorative justice. He has delivered training in restorative justice throughout the world, most recently for the UNODC. He acts as a consultant in relation to developing practice handbooks, training manuals and standards of practice. He was invited to participate in the review and revision of the UNODC handbook on Restorative Justice. He is chair of the Board of the European Forum for Restorative Justice. He is Visiting Professor,

Centre for Law, Crime & Justice, Law School, at the University of Strathclyde and Visiting Professor at the University of Sassari in Sardinia.

Jamal Jones

Jamal is is a second-generation educator who earned their bachelor degree in Psychology and Psychoeducational Studies whilst at Howard University. Jamal's career focus has been on at-risk, juvenile, and special education students, specifically students with Emotional Behavior Disorders. While teaching in these alternative school settings, Jamal became a self-taught and trialed by fire in the skills presented. Jamal is currently finishing a Masters in Special Education and currently teaches adult learners at the Academy of Hope, DC

Anita "JoJo" Shifflet

Author, Indian Law Attorney, and activist, Anita “JoJo” Shifflett is a Hatteras Tuscarora American Indian and member of the Lumbee Tribe whose territory is located in southeastern North Carolina. This area, the place where she maintains special communities with her wonderful family and Tribe, is held close to her heart. JoJo currently lives in Alexandria, VA, about ten miles from the D.C. Mall and Capitol.  Over the years, JoJo has served as a Law Clerk for Navajo Nation Tribal Attorneys where she assisted in drafting the first Navajo Nation Constitution, worked on the  United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and on the Minority Staff Council for Senator John McCain. She has also worked as a Staff Attorney for Lumbee River Legal Services and as the attorney, lecturer, and appointed legal observer at Standing Rock for DENNIS J. BANKS Enterprises. Dennis Banks, now deceased, is the former leader of the American Indian Movement. He was an Ojibwe (Chippewa) leader, who at a young age was removed from his family and forced to be raised and educated in Indian Boarding Schools where he experienced generational trauma. 

Most recently, JoJo, started focusing on the plight of Native American political prisoner, Leonard Peltier, who in 1975 was charged with the murder of two FBI Agents.  Believed to have been wrongly convicted, Amnesty International, the United Nations, and Bishop Desmond Tutu  have for years called for Leonard's release. Their voices are now being heard. JoJo has just been appointed to serve on the International Defense Committee for Leonard Peltier’s release. 

JoJo authored the first comprehensive paper on Indian Irrigation systems and Indian Water Law titled "AN OVERVIEW ON INDIAN IRRIGATION PROJECTS.” She is also the author of A LUMBEE GERSHOM (2017) and is working on a second book. JoJo is beginning to explore making documentaries and plans to retire from her practice of law to focus exclusively on writing and lecturing.