Town Hall on Reparations

• Robin A. Proudie is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran and accomplished civil servant with over 24 years of federal service. Throughout her career, she held a top-secret clearance and served within the U.S. intelligence community at the Pentagon, as well as in key roles at the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Following her retirement in 2022, Robin embarked on what she calls her most important mission yet: honoring the legacy of her Jesuit-enslaved ancestors who were forced to build Saint Louis University and other Catholic institutions in Missouri between 1823 and 1865. As the Founder and Executive Director of the Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE), Robin leads efforts rooted in remembrance, restoration, and reparative justice.

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• Janay Reliford is a Kansas City native. She attained a master’s degree in social work administration from the University of Kansas in 2004. In 2006, Reliford founded Camp C.H.O.I.C.E (Children Having Opportunities in Creating Environment), Inc., with the mission of providing youth life enrichment experiences to benefit their present and future spiritual, educational & social wellbeing. Camp CHOICE has served hundreds of youth through themed camps focused on emergency preparedness, human rights, violence prevention and other critical issues. In 2020, Reliford began volunteering with the KC Reparations Coalition (KCRC) and became chair in 2023. KCRC’s work led to the passing of a city resolution in support of HR40 in 2022, and the Mayor’s Commission on Reparations, seated in May of 2023. The same year, Camp CHOICE began offering African History Saturdays as educational enrichment to the public, 1st Saturdays, March-October, in response to attempts to defame and erase Black history. 

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• Rev. Dr. Robert Spicer, Sr. is the CEO of Restorative Strategies, LLC based in Chicago, IL. Restorative Strategies, LLC provides training and technical support with a focus on eradicating the school to prison pipeline. Through the practices of Restorative Justice with an emphasis on teaching Social/Emotional Learning, Restorative Strategies, LLC focus is to build capacity around these practices and move away from criminalizing the behavior of our most precious resource—our youth. Dr. Robert Spicer started his career in education as an elementary school teacher at Sojourner Truth Elementary in Chicago, IL from August 1995 to August 2003. From 2003-2009, Robert joined the team of the Community Justice for Youth Institute where he managed a collaboration between the community and the Cook County States’ Attorney’s office to divert non-violent offenses to ‘Community Panel’. These panels used Restorative Justice to re-enter youth back into the community with the support of trained community members. Robert was the managing director of this citywide project in Chicago, IL. He is a national trainer in Restorative Practices and trains school districts and community based organization in Peace Building and Conflict resolution across the country. Dr. Spicer is the author of Aspirational Justice: A Pathway toward Healing and Reconciliation and his first children's book on Restorative Justice in schools, What are Circles for?

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