We believe in the power of restorative justice.  We believe in the need for transformative justice.  We believe that no one is defined by the worst thing that has ever happened to them or the worst thing they have ever done.  We believe in Forgiveness.  We believe in Satyagraha.  We believe in Kalyanamitrata.  We believe in healing.  We believe that healing requires taking responsibility, each of us taking responsibility for the part that is ours.

This platform is our way of doing our part.  For those who have been harmed as a result of an abuse of power, reclaiming personal power is an essential component of the healing process and this website is one way that former Mogadao students who have been harmed can speak their truth, with dignity and in community — not only for their own healing but also for the healing of those who have done harm and for those who stood by while the harm took place, so that we may all be supported to learn, heal and make different choices. 

The necessity of this website arose because other efforts, over many years, to offer Zhenevere Sophia Dao an opportunity for accountability and healing have failed.  For example, earlier this year, a number of students attempted to have a restorative dialogue in a community setting with about 50 people in attendance, including Zhenevere and her staff, however the survivors were gaslit, Zhenevere and her staff lied about provable facts, and it became abundantly clear that engaging with them in this way only provided Zhenevere with a vehicle for further manipulation, deception and injury. 

Restorative Justice is only applicable if those who have caused harm are able to take responsibility for their actions.  Otherwise, the process will not be restorative but rather will replicate and perpetuate the original harm, both retraumatizing the victim and further enabling the victimizer.

Much the way sexual harm is not only physical, violence is not only physical.  We have striven to ensure that there is no violence or disrespect in any of the speech that is published here, either explicit or implicit.  If we have failed in our aspiration, we ask for your understanding. Sharing our stories is a difficult process. Even in the process of creating this website, when the desire for violence arose, we did our best to heal ourselves of any vengeance in our hearts.  We are aware, of course, that if the stories shared here are believed, that some people may suffer loss.  In the long-run, we trust that the truth can never harm, and in fact, will only serve everyone, including Zhenevere Sophia Dao. To enable Zhenevere, is to hurt her the most.

Satyagraha in Sanskrit and Hindi roughly translates to “holding onto truth”. Mahatma Gandhi used this term to describe his movement’s dedication to nonviolent resistance and also called it  “truth-force”, “soul-force” and “love-force”.  We humbly hope that this platform can serve in the spirit of satyagraha, to bring about liberation and greater harmony. 

We offer this space in the spirit of Kalyanamitrata, or spiritual friendship, as well. Spiritual friends are peers who provide guidance to each other.  It was written that the Buddha said that “spiritual friendship, spiritual companionship, spiritual camaraderie is the whole of the holy life”.  May this website be a place where Community walks its talk, cares for one another and holds each other accountable.

Finally, in providing this platform, we stand with the #MeToo Movement.  For us, #MeToo is about truth telling and radical inclusivity, it is about the voice of the many — no longer silenced out of fear or cynicism — rising, raising, recognizing:  

“Me too, I have been harmed.”  

 “Me too, I have harmed.”  

 “Me too, I have stood by and let harm happen.”  

 “Me too, there is a more beautiful world our hearts know is possible and today I am going to say something, do something… different, in order to be the change I long to see.”