![\"javier_sicilia_libro\"](\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/is\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2014\/07\/javier_sicilia_libro.jpg\")
<\/a>We convinced the journalists that I was not Sicilia, but then they approached us again in the market and one of them, Marco Esquivel, asked if he could take a picture with me, explaining the resemblance to Sicilia. He next proceeded\u00a0to interview me and became intrigued with restorative justice.<\/p>\n
Sicilia is a poet, novelist and journalist who became an outspoken human rights activist after\u00a0his son, along with six other people, was murdered by gang members. In 2011, he was Time Magazine\u2019s<\/em> Person of the Year<\/a> as a representative of protestors. A friend of philosopher Ivan Illich, according to Wikipedia<\/a> he has been a major promoter of Illich\u2019s thought in Mexico. He is also well-grounded in the Catholic social justice tradition and widely-known not only for his protests but for kissing his enemies as well as his friends.<\/p>\n Journalist Esquivel wrote a nice piece\u00a0in the local<\/a> paper entitled \u201cDr. Howard Zehr, \u2018the other\u2019 Javier Sicilia in Ciudad Victoria,\u201d with the opening line, \u201cWhat the heck is Javier Sicilia doing in Ciudad Victoria?\u201d The lead, after the title, went like this: \u201cHoward Zehr and Javier Sicilia not only share a similar physical appearance. They also – in their own ways – are victims\u2019 advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n The article narrated our encounter and briefly described restorative justice and the upcoming First National Conference of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism, starting the next day. What a serendipitous way to get publicity for the conference!<\/p>\n But that wasn’t the end of the story. Katia (a CJP graduate, I\u2019m proud to say) is\u00a0friends with\u00a0Javier Hern\u00e1ndez Valencia, Mexican representative of the UN High Commission for Human Rights, who knows Sicilia. With his help,\u00a0a few days later we headed to a village outside Mexico City to meet with Sicilia.\u00a0\u00a0 After a snack with Sicilia at an outdoor stand, we walked across the street to the home of Ivan Illich and had an energizing videotaped conversation about justice.<\/p>\n By the time\u00a0we said goodbye on the porch overlooking Illich\u2019s garden, even though we don\u2019t speak each other’s\u00a0language, I felt I had found a kindred spirit and friend. I\u2019ve sent him a Spanish version of Changing Lenses <\/em>and I\u00a0wonder what he will think\u00a0of it, especially the chapter on biblical justice.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>