Building Restorative Communities Gathering 2026 at Gonzaga Law

The Building Restorative Communities Gathering 2026 takes place Friday, November 13, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM and Saturday, November 14, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Gonzaga University School of Law, 721 N. Cincinnati Street in Spokane. Hosted by Building Restorative Communities, an initiative of the NAACP Spokane Branch, the two-day gathering invites the community to deepen relationships, encounter healing and engage restorative justice through practices rooted in Indigenous culture. Guests can attend one session or both, and everyone in the community is welcome.

What Restorative Justice Means for Spokane

Restorative justice asks a different question than the traditional legal system. Instead of focusing only on what rule was broken and what punishment fits, it asks who was harmed, what they need and how the people involved can repair the damage together. Practices like talking circles bring people face to face to share their concerns and their hopes, and many of those practices come from Indigenous traditions that have guided communities for generations.

Building Restorative Communities is the Spokane NAACP initiative that brings this work to neighborhoods across the city. Over the past year it has hosted community circles, book conversations on restorative justice and documentary screenings at Spokane libraries and community spaces. The Building Restorative Communities Gathering 2026 is its largest event yet, bringing those threads together over a Friday evening and a full Saturday.

Two Ways to Take Part

The Friday evening session of the Building Restorative Communities Gathering 2026 runs from 5:30 to 8:30 PM and the Saturday session runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, both at Gonzaga University School of Law. The organizers invite guests to attend one or both. Friday is a natural fit for anyone who works during the day, and Saturday offers a full day to go deeper into the practices.

What to Expect at the Building Restorative Communities Gathering 2026

1. CommunityTime to meet neighbors, advocates and practitioners working on restorative justice in Spokane.
2. Deeper relationshipsCircle practices that help people listen, share and build trust across differences.
3. HealingSpace to reflect on harm in our communities and what repair can look like.
4. Restorative justice in practiceA closer look at how restorative approaches work in schools, neighborhoods and the justice system.
5. Indigenous rootsApplications of restorative practice rooted in Indigenous culture and teaching.

Partners and Hosts

The Building Restorative Communities Gathering 2026 is presented by the NAACP Spokane Branch through its Building Restorative Communities initiative, with partners the Gonzaga University School of Law Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Waters Meet Foundation. Holding the gathering at a law school is fitting, since restorative justice is reshaping how courts, schools and communities across Washington respond to harm.

About NAACP Spokane

NAACP Spokane Branch 1137 works for civil rights, voting access and racial justice across the Spokane region. Its programs include candidate forums, monthly general membership meetings and the Building Restorative Communities initiative. NAACP AOWSAC shares the Building Restorative Communities Gathering 2026 so communities across Washington can take part. Find more events across Alaska, Oregon and Washington on the NAACP AOWSAC events calendar.

Additional Resources

• NAACP Spokane Branch 1137
• Gonzaga Law Center for Civil and Human Rights
• Waters Meet Foundation
• Restorative Justice Exchange

Hosted by Building Restorative Communities, a NAACP Spokane initiative, and shared by the NAACP AOWSAC State Area Conference