It is always the time to discuss restorative justice. During the height of the impeachment hearings—when the very concept of justice is at the forefront of the national conscience—we must engage in an open dialogue that speaks honestly about why people are checked out of our democratic processes. 

For too long, people have felt that that very system has left them behind. But we can fix that. We must eliminate cash bail, solitary confinement, and excessive sentencing. We must legalize and regulate marijuana and ensure that those communities that have been victimized most by the war on drugs are the first to profit from legalization.

However, we must go one step further. We must end the school-to-prison pipeline by focus on our students instead of our students' test scores.

Instead of practicing punitive discipline in our classrooms - constantly suspending and expelling our youth from their futures - we should turn to trauma-informed care that can help those same kids succeed.

My record shows that I am ready to lead this community one step further. 

• I worked with AQE to organize parents to fight for equitable funding.

• I worked with the Coalition for Education Justice to push for culturally responsive, anti-racist curriculum and training for New York City teachers.

• I worked with Avenues the World school, NegusWorld, and Hip Hop Saves Lives to implement innovative design thinking and social justice curriculums.

• And, I built a public school that caters to the emotional, and intellectual needs of children.

Healing these wounds of our country’s history in our schools can help us restore justice to all of our communities at large.

In solidarity,

Jamaal Bowman