Ubuntu Weekly #66

We did it! We fulfilled our mandate, presenting to the community last Thursday a report with our findings on the “context, causes, sequence and consequences of Nov. 3, 1979,” and the mandated “recommendations for concrete healing.”

• Warm thanks to all our friends at Bennett College for Women for all they did to help make our ceremony in the historic college’s lovely Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel such a magical event, and thanks to Dr. Alma Adams for hosting the post-ceremony reception in the renovated Steele Hall Art Gallery.
• With the report’s release, we’re excited to see on the blogs people energetically debating their own diverse interpretations around a foundation of facts instead of misperceptions and myths that have persisted since 1979. That’s a welcome step forward.
• We’re especially encouraged by action toward one of our recommendations already beginning in the blogosphere at The Editor’s Log of the News & Record’s John Robinson.
• Volunteer of the Week: Andy Coon, documentary filmmaker whose “Greensboro’s Child” tells a story of Nov. 3, 1979, we thank for engagement and support all along the way, including help making our CD-roms happen (they’ll be available next week). Thanks, Andy! Also, since this is the last edition of Ubuntu Weekly, thanks to all who volunteered or otherwise assisted or contributed to this process, even if just by thinking a good thought. Thanks, Everybody!
• Closing progress indicators: Nearly 400 people attended our Report Release Ceremony; our Ubuntu Weekly e-mail list grew to 857 recipients; we’re almost out of the 1,000 magazine-sized copies of our Executive Summary.
  

Latest news coverage:
The Lex Files blog coverage, ongoing
Related News & Record coverage, Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Lorraine Ahearn column, News & Record, Sunday, May 28, 2006
Allen Johnson column, News & Record, Sunday, May 28, 2006
Chosen Fast blog coverage, Saturday, May 27, 2006
News & Record coverage, Saturday, May 27, 2006
NPR coverage, Friday, May 26, 2006
Richard Prince column, Journal-isms’s, Friday May 26, 2005
Lorraine Ahearn column, News & Record, Friday, May 26, 2006
News & Record coverage, Friday, May 26, 2006
Associated Press coverage, Friday, May 26, 2006
ThatsWhatzUp! blog coverage, Friday, May 26, 2006
WXII-12 coverage, Thursday, May 25, 2006
News & Record coverage, Thursday, May 25, 2006
Ed Cone Blog coverage, Thursday, May 25, 2006
Related Arkansas Democratic Gazette coverage, Wednesday. May 24, 2006

UBUNTU – “I am what I am because of who we all are.” For a more complete definition, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu

GTRC to issue report tomorrow

The GTRC will release its report to the entire community at a ceremony tomorrow (May 25th) evening. (For details click here.) Commissioners will issue the report verbally, through a printed executive summary, and through the full report, which will be made available during the 6pm ceremony at our website. Hard copies and cd-rom versions of the report will also be made available at a later date through all Greensboro Public Library branches. Potential readers who can not access a Greensboro Public Library branch should email info@greensborotrc.org to request a copy.

S. AFRICAN CLERIC TO SPEAK AT GTRC REPORT RELEASE CEREMONY MAY 25

A GTRC news release:

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Dr. Peter Storey, former prison chaplain to Nelson Mandela, will speak during the May 25 ceremony at which the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC) will release its final report, completing its mandate and setting a new milestone in the city’s historic effort to examine and reconcile with its past.

Free copies of the executive summary will be given to all who attend the ceremony at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel at Bennett College for Women, 900 E. Washington St. The event also will include music, prayers, and verbal and video presentations of the report’s conclusions and recommendations.

Representatives of local and national groups that have signed on as GTRC Report Receivers – agreeing in the interest of continuing community reconciliation to read and discuss at least the executive summary – will formally accept the report at the ceremony, as will Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, president of Bennett College, which will house the archives of this process.

The report itself will be released to the public and posted online (at http://www.greensborotrc.org/) the evening of May 25, without the customary early release to media outlets. Instead of relying on others’ interpretations, the public will be able to read and process for themselves the GTRC’s findings and conclusions on the context, causes, sequence and consequence of Greensboro’s tragedy of Nov. 3, 1979.

On that day, Klan and Nazi members killed five labor organizers and wounded ten others at a “Death to the Klan” rally organized in a public housing community by the Communist Workers Party. Klan and Nazi defendants were acquitted of murder and civil rights violations in state and federal criminal trials. However, a civil trial found that Klansmen, Nazis and two members of the Greensboro Police Department were jointly liable for one wrongful death.

The GTRC’s report, the full text of which is more than 300 well-documented pages, will clarify the widespread confusion, rumors and misinformation that have swirled in the aftermath of the tragedy, providing important context and specific findings in topical areas with continuing implications including

· details of events, issues and preparations for the planned Nov. 3, 1979, march and conference;
· police performance and police/community relations;
· relevant history of Greensboro and involved organizations including the Klan, the Communist Workers Party and federal law-enforcement agencies;
· history of black power and multicultural organizing efforts in Greensboro;
· labor and labor organizing history;
· justice system issues;
· related topics including provocative language, First Amendment rights, firearms and racism;

The report also includes recommendations in areas including community acknowledgment and institutional reform.

The ceremony will be the culmination of nearly two years of work by the seven volunteer Commissioners and the Commission’s paid staff – the “Commission phase” of the grassroots, democratic process begun several years ago by the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project (GTRCP). Storey, former president of the South African Council of Churches and chair of the selection panel for the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, played a key advisory role in the beginning of this process.

As co-chair of the GTCRP’s National Advisory Committee, Storey shared the belief that examining this event could help bring healing to community divisions highlighted by the tragedy. He was instrumental in formulating the following language in the GTRC’s Mandate:

“The passage of time alone cannot bring closure, nor resolve feelings of guilt and lingering trauma, for those impacted by the events of November 3, 1979. Nor can there be any genuine healing for the city of Greensboro unless the truth surrounding these events is honestly confronted, the suffering fully acknowledged, accountability established, and forgiveness and reconciliation facilitated.”

After the ceremony, the GTRC will cease to exist. The work of continuing community reconciliation based on the collective truth offered in the report, and of implementing the GTRC’s recommendations, will become the responsibility of Report Receivers – which include a variety of religious, civic and other community groups – and the GTCRP, in keeping with that organization’s 2003 Declaration of Intent, which called for six to 12 months of discussions following the report’s release.

In addition to availability online, copies of the report will be available in all branches of the Greensboro Public Library and at other public places. The GTRCP, Report Receivers and other organizations are expected to plan discussions in various settings around town.

Other communities in the South and elsewhere have followed the GTRC’s work, which has included gathering statements and documentary evidence, and holding public hearings and a community dialogue. Success in Greensboro offers promise that the truth-seeking model previously used in South Africa, Peru and elsewhere can be effective in U.S. communities.

Representatives of other communities, students and journalists interested in continuing study will be able to access information about the GTRC’s work through the Bennett College archives (http://www.bennett.edu/), and through contact information and other details that will be available at the GTRC’s web site, which will be preserved through a partnership linking Bennett and the Greensboro Public Library (http://www.greensborolibrary.org/).

The International Center for Transitional Justice (www.ictj.org), an organization founded by one of the architects of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is serving as a consultant for the GTRC, as it has for similar efforts in nations including Ghana, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste (East Timor).
# # # # #

Thanks to Duke Students

As part of their course "Arts and Human Rights," four Duke University students have contributed to the work of the GTRC.

John Doherty and Stephanie Vance recently organized a benefit concert to raise awareness and funds (over $400) for the Commission's work. To see pictures of the event, click here.

And Sarah Finkelstein and Sarah Stein developed a high school curriculum around the GTRC and November 3rd called "Making Peace with History." For a bit more information, click here.

Thanks to these students and their professors, Catherine Admay and Louise Meintjes.

GTRC Report Receivers Clarification

Anyone -- groups and individuals -- can receive copies of our report, which is scheduled to be released on Thursday, May 25.

You can pick up your copies at the ceremony that day or you can have them mailed to you afterwards. If you prefer to have them mailed, please email info@greensborotrc.org with your name, requested number of copies and mailing address.

Also, we have heard from several people that their requests to become report receivers have been unanswered. If you have made such a request and not received a response, please contact us again at info@greensborotrc.org. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Yvonne Johnson and Jeff Thigpen's Public Hearing Statement Transcripts

Please click here to read the transcript of Yvonne Johnson and Jeff Thigpen's public hearing statements.

• Yvonne Johnson is a Greensboro native and graduate of Dudley High School and Bennett College for Women. In addition to an undergraduate degree in psychology, Johnson has a masters degree in guidance and counseling from NCA&T State University. She is director of One Step Further, Inc. Mediation Services and was the founder of Summit House. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Johnson also is president of Bennett's Board of Trustees.
• Jeff Thigpen was a member of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners from 1998 to 2004 and is currently an elected official serving as the Guilford County Register of Deeds. In the 1990s, Thigpen was a coordinator of the Business/Pulpit Forum Work Group, which was actively involved in bringing diverse groups together to get clarity and help resolve issues surrounding the K-Mart Boycott. He has an undergraduate degree from Guilford College and a masters degree from UNC-Greensboro.

Special thanks to Riley Driver, GTRC volunteer and Grimsley High School student, for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Richard Koritz and Deborah Kelly's Public Hearing Statement Transcript

Please click here to read the transcripts of Richard Koritz and Deborah Kelly's statements.

• Richard Koritz is a representative of the Letter Carriers Union to the AFL-CIO and managing partner of a small multicultural publishing company. A retired postal employee, he is co-leader of the weekly anti-war vigil in downtown Greensboro, and a former member of the Greensboro Human Relations Commission, for which he chaired the Police Complaint Review Committee. He also has served on the board of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.
• Deborah Kelly is the executive director of Centro de Acción Latino, which serves Latino newcomers and works to empower emerging Latino leaders. Born in Puerto Rico, she moved to Greensboro 12 years ago and lives with her three children and her husband. She serves on the board of the N.C. Latino Coalition and is chair of the Guilford Health Partnership.

Special thanks to Eric Smith, GTRC Volunteer and Davidson College student, for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #63

We offer thanks this week to about 70 people who turned out for our GTRC Report Receivers gathering at Tuscana Cuisine. We were encouraged by the warm spirit and broad commitment to using our final report in continuing work for community reconciliation.

• We also offer thanks to the Wachovia Foundation for a $1,000 contribution and to the InSight Fund for a $1,500 contribution in support of our work.
• Volunteer of the Week: Dr. Millicent Brown, a member of the history faculty at N.C. A&T State University who – in addition to speaking at our third public hearing – took time during the busy close of the semester to review and offer suggestions on one of our final report chapters. Thanks, Millicent!
• This week’s progress indicator: More than 40 local and national organizations so far have agreed to become GTRC Report Receivers.

Latest news coverage:
Related News & Record coverage, May 9, 2006
Related Brown Alumni Magazine coverage, May 3, 2006

Our upcoming events:
GTRC Report Release Ceremony, 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, 2006, Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel, Bennett College for Women, 900 E. Washington St.

Ubuntu Weekly #62

We’re now in our last month of operation, pushing hard to complete our final report, plan the Report Release Ceremony and clear out the office by May’s end when the GTRC ceases to exist.

• All supporters affiliated with organizations willing to become GTRC Report Receivers are encouraged to join us this Thursday at our Report Receivers Gathering at Tuscana Cuisine (details below). Come learn more about the May 25 GTRC Report Release Ceremony, mingle and enjoy refreshments with other receivers, and discuss post-Commission work for community reconciliation.
• Volunteer of the Week: Rev. Mazie Ferguson, president of the Greensboro Pulpit Forum, who shared her experience and analyses at our third public hearing and since has helped us with fundraising, advocacy and even poetry. Thanks, Mazie!
• This week’s progress indicator: Seventeen chapters plus numerous annexes summing up our 22 months of work have been assembled into a final report and are in various stages of drafting and finalizing by a hard-working team including Commissioners, staff, consultants and volunteers.
  

Latest news coverage:
Carolina Peacemaker related coverage, April 26, 2006
Yes! Weekly coverage, April 25, 2006
Related Yes! Weekly coverage, April 25, 2006
Associated Press sample coverage, April 25, 2006
Washington Post mention, April 25, 2006

Our upcoming events:
(THIS WEEK!)GTRC Report Receivers Gathering, 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, Tuscana Cuisine, 709 E. Market St. Meeting to discuss what it means to be a report receiver, including plans for the report release ceremony. To become a Receiver, contact our volunteer coordinator, Samantha Hargrove, at samhargrove@hotmail.com or 336-988-2019.

GTRC Report Release Ceremony, 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, 2006, Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel, Bennett College for Women, 900 E. Washington St.

UBUNTU – “I am what I am because of who we all are.” For a more complete definition, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu