February 13, 2024: Accountability

What does it mean to be accountable--on personal, professional, governmental and business levels.  We offered a definition of accountability for our words and actions:  1) to accept responsibility, to be liable for what we have done; 2) to give satisfactory reasons, be answerable; 3) to accept the consequences or harms we caused; and 4) to accept the obligation to make right the wrongs.   

This is an example of accountability offered by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, who stated that those whose conscience impels them to break just laws must accept the penalties, such as submitting to arrest and imprisonment.  

We discussed examples of accountability and unaccountability in our lives that did and did not lead to resolution.  Restorative justice, being used in schools in 21 states (but not Georgia), was discussed as an alternative to the traditional punishment model.  Restorative justice focuses on mediation and agreement according to the four principles of accountability, to resolve conflicts and violations of school policies.   

Savannah is fortunate to have a resource for mediation--the Mediation Center of Savannah, located at 5105 Paulson Street, Suite 125D and can be reached at 912-354-6686 or via their website at https://mediationsavannah.com/.

Please tune in on Tuesday, February 20 when we will discuss the unsung heroes who brought Savannah through its founding, period of slavery, and to present--the abolitionists, the educators, the protesters and more.  Please tune in/listen live on the web at 11am.