I knew my life would be spent advocating and training people in the philosophy and practices of restorative justice.

Karen Lynn Morton is Co-Chair Emeritus of POWER-PAC IL and the Coordinator of the Austin Peace Center, a restorative justice pilot project that previously operated at seven Chicago public schools. A mother of one who also helped raise her nephews, she comes from a long line of advocates for social justice.  Lynn is proud to be a parent leader and church activist. 

Lynn and fellow Elementary Justice Campaign member Dexter Leggin during Week of Action in 2021

Recently, as an active member of the Elementary Justice Campaign, she has spoken to the media about the importance of Chicago Public Schools transparency about police in schools and trained fellow parents on important changes in the CPS Student Code of Conduct. She continues to be an outspoken opponent of the use of School Resource Officers (police) in schools as agents of discipline and providing socio-emotional resources to support teachers and administrators without criminalizing young students of color.

In her own words, Lynn shares the compelling story of how she found her voice and ending the school-to-prison pipeline became her calling: