Greensboro Truth & Reconciliation Commission

Is The Truth knowable? Whose Truth?

2006-06-08T15:02:00.000-04:00

A previous post (here and here) asked some thoughtful questions about our methodology. These questions are answered in more detail in the methodology section to our report introductionaccessible here . I have excerpted below the relevant bits to the poster's questions about the completeness and fairness of our work.

Is the Truth Knowable?

Entire disciplines of philosophy, history, science and cultural studies are devoted to the debate on whether humans are capable of knowing “the Truth” and the examination of the politics and power relations embedded in any endeavor claiming to reveal it. Engaging these epistemological debates is beyond the scope of our report but one need not be a philosopher to appreciate the inherent limitations of the GTRC’s task of truth-seeking. We faced the same constraints in our research that all truth commissions face, including (among others):

- gaps in available evidence;

- imperfect memory;

- inadequate time, funding;

- lack of sufficient staff.

Reluctance to offer statements

In our research effort, we had to contend with gaps in our information that stemmed from reluctance to give statements because of many potential statement givers’ fear of retaliation or distrust of our process. In some cases, there is evidence that potential statement givers were explicitly discouraged by people outside the Commission from speaking to us (see chapters on City Response and Conclusions). As a result, our report is not as complete as it might have been. However, we made every effort to address these gaps by consulting trial transcripts, depositions and other available recorded interviews. Where full transcripts were no longer available, we consulted secondary literature (see Data Sources below).

Many (but not all) truth commissions were able to address gaps in information by using subpoena power that we, as a grassroots commission, did not have. However, we note that a subpoena is no guarantee of complete or truthful information and could work counter to the goal of reconciliation by forcing people to particiapte in a process about which they harbor feelings of fear or suspicion. Moreover, we believe that the voluntary offering of statements by many parties who were openly suspicious or hostile to our process is more meaningful than forcing statement givers to the table; the fact that these people offered statements is a testament to the integrity of our process not only as a truth-seeking exercise but as a step toward reconciliation.

Control of information

There are always significant challenges to fact-finding related to government agencies that maintain strict control over information. This was especially true with regard to federal agencies that released documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that were nearly blacked out completely with redactions. In addition, we found that “discovery” allowable in the civil suit (i.e. the release of internal information to the plaintiffs) was limited both by broad federal immunity.

Imperfections of memory

Eyewitness testimony is notoriously fluid and idiosyncratic Memories of details are vulnerable to erosion by time (especially after 25 years), influence from other sources of information, and shifting political and social pressures that encourage the recollection of some facts and discourage the expression of others. Therefore, for the purposes of fact-finding, we preferred, when available, testimony taken closer in time to the event. However, memories also provide insights into the human cost and experience of the events and paint a richer picture of how the event lives on for people today.

Although we faced limitations and challenges in our research, they do not negate the possibility that rigorous fact-finding from the available evidence can produce a well-supported public record of what happened. We asked these fundamental questions of the evidence:

· Does the statement of a single witness sufficiently support a claim as fact?

· If not, how much information is needed to corroborate a fact?

· How do opposing and similar facts fit together? Can seemingly opposing evidence in fact describe different aspects of the same picture, or does accepting one preclude the veracity of the other?

· Jumbled recollection is often a symptom of traumatic stress. Does inconsistency among an individual’s recollections, especially one who was an eyewitness to a traumatic event, taint any particular observation?

We have consulted a wide variety of sources to corroborate evidence as much as possible and have noted in the text where corroboration was not possible. However, witnesses can also provide truthful accounts that are not corroborated. Occasionally, information is not subject to multiple observations and conversations between important actors on contentious topics usually take place with a limited number of participants and observers. If the statement provides sufficient detail, subject to other indices of credibility noted below, we believe it is appropriate to accept its claims.

We made every effort to fact check, corroborate and impartially weigh evidence (see below). These facts were assembled to produce one cohesive story of what we believe transpired.

However, this fact finding alone was not sufficient to understand what happened in all its complexity. Rather, this framework of a sequence of facts is brought to life by the accumulated narratives from individual statement-givers. In addition to adding a human dimension to verifiable facts, public testimony also provides the benefit of allowing a space for people who have not had the opportunity to share their experience and perspective in the past.

Statements from people who know about the events, the background causes, and the consequences reflected a wide variety of perspectives, in people’s own words. Interviews were conducted without rigid closed-end protocols in order to allow the statement-taker to tailor the interview to the individual, follow up on unexpected information and to make the statement-giving process itself an instrument of healing by allowing some leeway for the statement-giver to pursue areas she wished to express.

Narrative information helps us understand how individuals experienced these events and what facts different people see as relevant to telling the story. Why did different actors do what they did? How did events change them? These perspectives cannot be cross-checked and reconciled into one coherent account – in fact, revealing their diversity was precisely the point. This difference in perspective is often (though not always) why misunderstanding and conflicts occur. Exposing some of the differences in experience and perspective provides a human, lived dimension to the framework of fact-finding, and was an explicit aim of our research.

Data sources

Our research drew on a variety of data sources. In addition to our own interviews, we consulted GPD internal records (including statements, investigation reports, physical evidence, medical examiner reports, internal memos; Internal Affairs interview summaries; police and news photos and slow-motion news footage); selected trial testimony from all three court cases; federal Grand Jury testimony; civil suit depositions and criminal case pre-trial interviews; and a wealth of civil suit discovery material including internal records from the GPD, FBI and BATF.

Because the official copies of trial transcripts from the criminal trials have been destroyed, availability of copies was idiosyncratic. We were granted access to transcripts through the personal collections of Judge James Long and playwright Emily Mann, as well as those available in the UNC Wilson Archive because they were used as part of the civil trial. Where transcripts were not available, whenever possible we supplemented with secondary sources such as newspaper reports, journal articles and books. However, because they were secondary sources and filtered through the authors’ own interpretations, these accounts of testimony were not given as much weight as primary accounts.

Procedural fairness

The GTRC is not a judicial body (see chapter on Injustice in the Justice system for more on the different missions of courts and TRCs and what our goals were in investigating the trials). There are no adversarial parties, no cross-examination of witnesses in our hearings or statement taking, although many of the documents we used in our research were court documents that had been the subject of cross-examination.

Nevertheless, anyone was free to offer a statement and we considered all statements and evidence impartially, as explained above. The need to provide an opportunity to pose questions was partially addressed by asking statement-givers whether they had questions they wanted the Commission to address or to have other key players answer. In addition, for all parties who were to be named in association with wrongdoing in the report and from whom we had had not yet received a statement, we made every attempt to re-contact them to offer one final opportunity to offer a statement. Indeed, one key police officer accepted this invitation and offered his statement in the final days of report writing.

All statement-givers, whether their statements were delivered in writing or orally, were asked to sign a statement affirming that there was nothing in their statement that was willfully false.

Standard of evidence

Our standard of evidence, like many truth commissions, is the “balance of probabilities,” also known as “preponderance of evidence” This means that based on the totality of evidence before us, if an individual piece of evidence was judged “more likely than not” to be true, we took it as fact. For simplicity of language, we at times express this standard as “common sense” or “reasonableness.” This standard was applied uniformly to every statement regardless of the content of the information or identity of the witness.

As stated above, the GTRC is not a court. Accordingly, it was not bound by rules of evidence. The production of a single statement on a contested issue could easily satisfy the preponderance of evidence standard if it is judged to be credible (see below on weighing evidence). Before the statement, there was no evidence. Now with the statement, regardless of whether or not the witness is sworn, there is new evidence that might tip the scales in favor of a finding. We indicate the finding has met the standard of “more likely than not” by saying that “we find there is sufficient evidence.”

In some cases, the “preponderance of the evidence” standard is greatly surpassed where multiple sets of information aggregate, for example when multiple witnesses present similar versions and/or there is corroboration of evidence from other sources (including videotape or physical evidence), as we note in our findings by indicating that there is “substantial” evidence.

One possible disadvantage of the “preponderance of the evidence” standard is the exclusion of some information. A fact that is unreasonable or not credible may be excluded from consideration. How we made that determination is outlined below.

Weighing conflicting evidence

In assessing the probability that a piece of evidence was likely to be true, we used the same means that everyday people use when assessing credibility of a claim, including:

· What was the person’s ability to remember and relate details about the observation he/she is presenting? If asked in multiple ways, does he/she relate the details in a consistent fashion?

· Is the source in a position to know the evidence he/she presents? That is, did the source hear or see the evidence directly or is she/he reporting something she/he heard from somewhere else? Hearsay evidence is not admissible in court, but we accepted hearsay evidence if it was otherwise judged credible.

· Is the evidence presented against the source’s interest? That is, does the source have a reason to lie? Is there any noticeable bias toward any particular version of events?

· What is the past record of the source’s version of events? Has it been consistent?

· Is the evidence consistent with other evidence from different sources?

· Is the evidence logical/reasonable?

· Was the evidence sworn? Cross-examined?

Clearly, this is not a checklist of criteria that all evidence must meet in order to be assigned credibility. For example, because a source presents evidence that might be in his or her interest is not in itself sufficient reason to doubt its credibility. However, if the evidence is against the source’s interest, it adds significant weight to its credibility.

Not all of the evidence we considered was sworn or cross-examined because we are not a court. But some of the trial documents that we reviewed were indeed both sworn and cross-examined, which is an aspect we considered in weighing the credibility. Trial and Grand Jury testimony, civil suit depositions, and written answers to plaintiffs’ interrogatories are all sworn. For trial (but not Grand Jury) testimony and depositions, attorneys for both sides are present and can cross-examine and make objections. Statements to GPD and GTRC are not sworn and attorneys are not present; pre-trial interviews for criminal cases are not sworn, nor are FBI interviews. FBI interviews are summarized by the interviewer and are not transcripts. GPD statements are most often summarized by the interviewer, but sometimes transcripts for the more extensive interviews with suspects were provided.

This list enumerates considerations we used in weighing evidence and illustrates that weighing evidence is an unavoidably subjective exercise. But when done in an explicit way, testing information against these indicators, the process of fact finding can be made much less arbitrary.

Findings of fact and interpretive conclusions

Our primary research goal was to provide an accurate public record of what happened so that people could begin a dialogue about what these facts mean and what should be done to address them. However, as a Commission, we also felt that a neutral recitation of facts was insufficient. People who have been wronged do not need a truth commission to merely record and repeat their stories, telling them what they already know. We believe it is the obligation of the Commission to go further and make conclusions that interpret the larger significance of events, assess where there have been wrongs committed and assign responsibility for those wrongs. As most truth commissions have also done, we make assessments of the significance of these facts using both legal (according to constitutional and N.C. state law) and moral principles as standards.

Some wrongs are not necessarily a violation of law but may constitute a moral or ethical breach. For example, we considered some wrongs of omission and commission to be inconsistent with a modern democratic society and morally or ethically wrong.

A basic distinction is made between those who passively allow unjust systems to persist and those who actively contribute individually wrongful acts, either of omission or commission. Moreover, we believe that the attribution of moral responsibility differs for individual and state actors. The latter should be held to a higher standard, not only because of the power with which they are entrusted by the community (including the monopoly on the use of force and the power to arrest and detain) but also their responsibility to protect citizen rights and wellbeing. When wrongs are committed by agents of the state or when institutions designed to protect basic ideals of justice fail in that mission, the consequences are often more widespread harm to the body politic and the continuation of a corrosive atmosphere of fear and threatened violence (see chapters on City response and Injustice in the justice system)

In addition to individual actors, the Commission also discussed more broadly how the very system of racial and class injustice contributed to negative outcomes. Ethical or moral standards today, or even an evolution in the law, can also serve as a basis upon which to make judgments about things that occurred in the past. For example, the Commission explored not only what the law was that allowed lawyers to strike potential jurors based on their race, but also why such a jury does not satisfy the ideal of justice and why this has changed to a different standard today.

On a related issue, the blog poster asked why we could call the juries “all white” when one member on the state jury was a Cuban. This is a complicated issue, one that also comes up when people refer to 4 or of the 5 victims being "white." Racial and ethnic identity is obviously very contested ground (there are entire academic disciplines devoted to it) because these concepts are so deeply intertwined with politics and power. In addition, self-identifiers have greatly evolved over time. Many Hispanics refer to themselves as racially white, which is why the 2000 the US census started using the distinction between 'white Hispanic' and 'white not Hispanic.' It would have been preferable to have Mr. Manduley identify his own ethnicity/race, but he declined to participate in our process.

One final note. Although I am moving away from Greensboro, I will continue to follow this process from afar on the blogs (I hope that someone takes on Jill's earlier suggestion about setting up a blog specifically for TRC discussion) and will be periodically available for any further questions and discussion (although I am going to be checked out for the next few weeks on vacation, trying to recover my sanity).

Emily Harwell

Ubuntu Weekly #66

2006-05-31T17:16:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-24T15:17:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-20T00:07:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-15T22:43:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-15T21:58:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-09T22:24:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-09T22:14:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-09T22:13:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-02T14:43:00.000-04:00

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

Ubuntu Weekly #61

2006-04-25T17:15:00.000-04:00

Thanks going out this week to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro for an additional $10,000 grant last week that, in addition to helping us cover our final expenses, gives us a vote of confidence that our work holds promise for the city’s future.

Thanks, too, to Jacinta White of the Word project, the Greensboro Public Library, and all the participants in Saturday’s “Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation” workshop. It was an enlightening and enjoyable experience, and we appreciated being part of PoetryGSO.
Volunteer of the Week: Matt Shelton, a recent Guilford College graduate and faithful truth and reconciliation supporter who has been part of our statement-transcribing team. Thanks, Matt!
This week’s progress indicator: The Greensboro Men’s Club, an organization with a long and influential history in the city, has agreed to become a GTRC Report Receiver.

Latest news coverage:
Ed Cone column, News & Record, April 23, 2006
News & Record editorial, April 20, 2006
News & Record related coverage, April 20, 2006

Our upcoming events:
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

GTRC Volunteer Reflections

2006-04-24T14:28:00.000-04:00

The following are reflections of Ashely Gravely, a Commission volunteer and Bennett College junior:

Interning here at the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission opened my eyes to a side of Greensboro that I never could have imagined. While working on special projects such as transcription and scrap booking, I was able to see up close and personal why the individuals here worked tirelessly for the truth, reconciliation, and healing of Greensboro, NC and November 3, 1979. The scrap booking of news articles based on race, labor, and police were particularly interesting; you never notice how many articles can be published everyday about these subjects. Having the opportunity to work on this project has been an asset to my fields of study, Political Science and Mass Communications. Also having my school, Bennett College for Women, named as the site for which this valuable information will be placed is a great honor. I know that Sandra N. Smith and others would be proud of our hard work!

Thanks, Ashely, for all of your hard work and for sharing your thoughts.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #60

2006-04-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

Some of us are looking forward to this Saturday’s Poetry GSO workshop (details below) as a chance to heal a little from the trauma of November 3, 1979, and its aftermath.

Please join us at the workshop, which we believe holds promise for personal and community breakthroughs. To RSVP or ask questions, e-mail joya@greensborotrc.org or call 275-5953.
While we remain focused on completing our fundraising, recruiting GTRC Report Receivers and planning our Report Release Ceremony, Commissioners – in yet another daylong meeting and daily via e-mail – are hanging with the painstaking work of discerning their collective “truth.”
Volunteer of the Week: Eric Whitaker, a recent history graduate of N.C. A&T State University who is connecting with student groups to create a campus pool of Receivers who will use our report for future social justice learning and work. Thanks, Eric!
This week’s progress indicator: National groups also are agreeing to be GTRC Report Receivers. So far we have agreement forms from the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation and the Andrus Family Fund, our largest funder.

Latest news coverage:
Elizabeth Wheaton guest column, News & Record, Sunday, April 16, 2006
Ed Cone blog coverage, Sunday, April 16, 2006
Yes! Weekly coverage, Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Yes! Weekly mention, Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Thursday, March 30, 2006

Our upcoming events:
(THIS WEEK!) “Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation,” 2-5 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Nussbaum Room, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop co-sponsored with the Greensboro Public Library as part of Poetry GSO, led by Jacinta White of the Word project, who will present techniques for using poetry as a means of community healing. For info or to RSVP, e-mail joya@greensborotrc.org.

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

GTRC Report Release Ceremony

2006-04-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

Please join with the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission for its Report Release Ceremony.

At this event, the Commission will issue a report to the residents of Greensboro, to the City, to the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project, and to other public bodies. The report will include findings about the context, causes, sequence and consequences of the events of November 3, 1979, as well as recommendations for how the community and its institutions can work towards reconciliation and restorative justice.

Event Specifics:
Thursday, May 25, 2006
6pm
Bennett College
Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel
900 E. Washington St.
Free Parking

Following the ceremony, a reception will be held in Steele Hall.

Those attending the ceremony will be the first to receive the report (at no charge).

If you can't make the ceremony, check out our website for the report which will be posted shortly after the ceremony.

posted by: Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #59

2006-04-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

Forty-four days before its release, the report is drafted, much has been redrafted and we’ve had to add a daylong meeting to the schedule for hashing out more details. The heat is on!

We offer thanks this week to our friends at New Garden Friends Meeting for once again providing a comfortable room and warm hospitality for a two-day retreat we had last week.
Volunteer of the Week: Wanda Mobley, executive assistant to the vice president for institutional advancement at Bennett College for Women, who’s lending her invaluable expertise, assistance and resources to the planning committee for our Report Release Ceremony on May 25 (details below). Thanks, Wanda!
This week’s progress indicator: More than a hundred community groups have been approached about becoming GTRC Report Receivers. The diverse organizations that have agreed so far include the Greensboro Public Library and Muhammad Mosque No. 92.

Latest news coverage:
Ed Whitfield Counterpoint column, News & Record, Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Jim Capo blog commentary, Sunday, April 9, 2006
Ed Cone blog coverage, April 9, 2006
Off the Record blog coverage, Saturday, April 8, 2006
Thinking Out Loud blog coverage, Saturday, April 8, 2006

Our upcoming events:
“Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation,” 2-5 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Nussbaum Room, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop co-sponsored with the Greensboro Public Library as part of Poetry GSO, led by Jacinta White of the Word project, who will present techniques for using poetry as a means of community healing. For info or to RSVP, e-mail joya@greensborotrc.org.

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

Citizen's Response Panel Hearing Transcript

2006-04-10T14:38:00.000-04:00

Click here to read the transcript from the Citizen's Response Panel Discussion at the Commission's second public hearing.

Leah Wise, Larry Morse, PhD, and Michael Curtis all spoke on a "citizen's Response Panel" about the community response to the events of November 3, 1979. Wise is a lead organizer of the National Anti-Klan Network, a coalition made up of civil rights and church organizations formed in response to November 3, 1979. She was also a director of the Durham Based Southest Regional Economic Justice Network and later formed the North Carolinians Against Religious and Racist Violence. Morse is an economics professor at NCA&T State University. He was out of town on November 3, 1979, but was friends with initiators of the march. He was also a member of the Citizens for Justice and Unity and was a co-chair of the march and vigil in the early 1980s against Klan demonstrations. Curtis is the Judge Donald Smith Professor of Constitutional Law and Legal and Constitutional History at Wake Forest School of Law. He was also on the Human Relations Citizens Review Commission after November 3, 1979.

Special thanks to commission volunteer, Matt Shelton, for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #58

2006-04-04T14:59:00.000-04:00

One by one the chapters of our final report are coming together, thanks to the work of staff, volunteers and consultants. We’re looking forward to presenting a collective memory to replace the divergent understandings that help keep us divided.

We know it’s not the most convenient time but we do hope you’ll plan to join us at our report release ceremony May 25 (details below), where we’ll democratically deliver our report to the entire community in one fell swoop. Be there to get it firsthand and interpret it for yourself.
Speaking of interpreting, we’re looking forward to some creative new interpretations and ideas to come out of our poetry workshop April 22 (details below). Planning to join us? We’d love it if you’d RSVP. E-mail joya@greensborotrc.org.
Volunteer of the Week: Rev. Carole Howard, a grassroots Greensboro-based minister, teacher and artist who is lending her gifts, connections and experience to our campaign to recruit GTRC Report Receivers. Thanks, Carole!
This week’s progress indicator: Between the Commission and the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project, we’re averaging one-two engagements a week with classes and other groups interested in our experience, in general or with specific topics such as truth, reconciliation, justice, forgiveness or history. If you’d like someone to speak to your group, e-mail info@greensborotrc.org.

Latest news coverage:
John Young guest column, News & Record, Sunday, April 2, 2006
Ed Cone blog coverage, Sunday, April 2, 2006
Related Chosen Fast blog coverage, Thursday, March 30, 2006

Our upcoming events:

“Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation,” 2-5 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Nussbaum Room, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop co-sponsored with the Greensboro Public Library as part of Poetry GSO, led by Jacinta White of the Word project, who will present techniques for using poetry as a means of community healing. For info or to RSVP, e-mail joya@greensborotrc.org.

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. For more info, contact our volunteer Receivers 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

Marty Nathan's Public Hearing Statement Transcript

2006-04-03T15:17:00.000-04:00

Click here to read the transcript of Dr. Martha Nathan's statement at the GTRC's third public hearing.

Martha Nathan is the widow of Dr. Michael Nathan, one of the five people killed on Nov. 3rd and executive director of the Greensboro Justice Fund, which supports Southern grassroots work fighting racist, religious and homophobic violence. A physician in Northampton, Mass., she is a graduate of Brown University and Duke University Medical School.

Thanks to volunteers Ashely Gravely, Bennett College student, and Sue Keith for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #57

2006-03-28T10:55:00.000-05:00

With the date set, we’re now planning the details of our closing ceremony on May 25 – 58 days from today – at the same time that we continue working to complete our report in time.

Community reconciliation in Greensboro is going to require a lot of work by a lot of groups, which we’re now beginning to identify. All groups interested in standing for truth and reconciliation by becoming GTRC Report Receivers can click here for the invitation and agreement form. For more information, contact our volunteer Receivers coordinator, Samantha Hargrove, at samhargrove@hotmail.com or 336-988-2019.
Volunteer of the Week: Steve Swanson, a legal scholar who worked through the International Center for Transitional Justice to complete a fact memo for our final report on First Amendment questions inherent in our work. Thanks, Steve!
This week’s progress indicator: So far, nine colleges and universities have expressed interest in purchasing our public hearings DVDs as a research and teaching tool. Click here for more information on how to order this collection.

Latest news coverage:
UNCG Carolinian mention, Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Mississippi Public Broadcasting coverage, Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Poverty & Race newsletter coverage, January/February 2006

Our upcoming events:
“Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation,” 2-5 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Nussbaum Room, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop co-sponsored with the Greensboro Public Library as part of Poetry GSO, led by Jacinta White of the Word project, who will present techniques for using poetry as a means of community healing. For info, e-mail info@greensborotrc.org.

GTRC Report Receivers Gathering, 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, Tuscana Cuisine, 709 E. Market St. Meeting to begin making plans for continuing community reconciliation work. For more info, contact our volunteer Receivers coordinator, Samantha Hargrove, at samhargrove@hotmail.com or 336-988-2019.

GTRC Closing 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

Deffense Attorneys' Public Hearing Statement Transcript

2006-03-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the transcript from the public hearing statements of Bob Cahoon, Hal Greeson and Percy Wall.

Mr. Cahoon, Mr. Greeson and Mr. Wall were publicly appointed defense attorneys for Roland Wayne Wood, Coleman (Johnny) Pridmore, and David Mathews, respectively, in the 1980 state murder trial.

Thanks to Sarah Marshall and Kristi Parker for volunteering to transcribe this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Joyce Johnson's Public Hearing Statement Transcript

2006-03-28T10:32:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the transcript of Joyce Johnson's statement at the Commission's third public hearing.

Joyce Johnson is the director of the Jubilee Institute of Greensboro's Beloved Community Center and wife of the Rev. Nelson Johnson since 1969. A mother, grandmother and activist, she has worked for black liberation in the United States and Africa, quality public education, economic justice and women's rights. She retired in 2000 after 27 years of service to NCA&T State University, where she was director of the Transportation Institute. A native of Richmond, VA, she graduated from Duke University in 1968.

Thanks to volunteers Melody Thomas and Sue Keith for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

GTRC Report Receiver Invitation

2006-03-27T18:19:00.000-05:00

To: All Greensboro community, civic and religious organizations (and national organizations, too!)

From: The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Date: Spring 2006

At a ceremony June 12, 2004, witnessed by more than 500 people, the seven members of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission – the first of its kind in the United States –accepted a mandate from the grassroots Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project to seek the truth and work for reconciliation around the five deaths of Nov. 3, 1979.

In the 21 months since then, with the help of a five-member staff, the Commission has examined the context, causes, sequence and consequences of an event that traumatized the city. We held three public hearings and a community dialogue that highlighted the many different perspectives that exist about the shootings and their aftermath.

At a report release ceremony on Thursday, May 25, we will deliver our final report, which will include recommendations for concrete community healing and restorative justice and mark the official end of our work. Our mandate directs us to deliver our report to the residents of Greensboro, the city, the Project (which launched the democratic process that created the Commission), and “other public bodies.”

We now invite you, as a representative of a local organization working for the good of Greensboro, to make your organization one of those other public bodies by becoming an official GTRC Report Receiver, acknowledging that truth and reconciliation are worthy goals and that the Commission has taken its mandate seriously. Specifically, without agreeing in advance with any of our findings, GTRC Report Receivers agree to do the following:

· Send a representative from the organization to symbolically receive the Commission’s final report at our report release ceremony, 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel at Bennett College for Women, 900 E. Washington St.;
· Read the report or the executive summary as a group, then engage in an open and honest dialogue about our findings;
· (Local organizations only) Send a representative to a community-wide gathering of GTRC Report Receivers at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 4, 2006, at Tuscana Cuisine, 709 E. Market St.
· Assess the report’s findings and recommendations, then work to help implement any of the recommendations we agree will further the cause of community reconciliation and healing.

Once our report is delivered, the Commission will no longer exist. It will then be the responsibility of our community to use what we’ve learned through this process to ensure the long-lasting results envisioned in the Project’s Declaration of Intent, which calls for six to 12 months of dialogue based on our impartial report.

Will you stand with us? The more groups that choose to take ownership of this pioneering effort, the stronger it will be. If you have questions, a GTRC representative can come speak with your group to answer them. Thank you in advance for completing and returning the form by mail, personal delivery, fax or e-mail, using the contact information below.

122 N. Elm St., Suite 505, Greensboro, NC 27401 ● Phone: 336-275-6462 ● Fax: 336-275-6227 ● info@greensborotrc.org

Tammy Tutt's Public Hearing Transcript

2006-03-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the transcript of Tammy Tutt's statement at the Commission's third public hearing.

Tammy Tutt is a Greensboro resident who was living in Morningside Homes, the Greensboro community where the shootings happened on November 3, 1979. She was borned and raised in public housing and now is active in the community.

Thanks to Neubia Williams for help with transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Public Hearing Statements of Drs. Millicent Brown and Michael Roberto

2006-03-23T12:19:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the transcript of statements of Dr. Millicent Brown and Dr. Michael Roberto at the Commission's third public hearing.

Dr. Millicent Brown is an assistant professor in the history department at N.C. A&T State University. Her introduction into issues of segregation and educational equity began with her role as a child in Millicent Brown vs. School Board District 20, City of Charleston, SC, which was South Carolina’s first desegregation case in 1963. Dr. Brown grew up in an activist household as the daughter of a NAACP official who was president at both local and state levels and who has active since the 60s in civil rights work , especially focusing on police brutality and educational equity.

Dr. Michael Roberto is also an assistant professor in the history department of N.C. A&T State University and a resident of Greensboro for more than 25 years working as a journalist part of that time working with the Carolina Peacemaker and the News & Record. A contemporary world historian, his primary teaching fields also include world history and the history of socialism. He has his B.A. degree from Adelphi University, his Masters from the University of Rhode Island and a Ph.D. from Boston College.

Special thanks to our volunteers - Kristi Parker and Neubia Williams - for transcribing these statements.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #56

2006-03-21T17:45:00.000-05:00

We’re thankful this week to Bennett College for Women, which will house our archives, for agreeing to host the May 25th ceremony at which we’ll deliver our final report to the community (details below). Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.

Thanks, too, to the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation and Southern Truth and Reconciliation for organizing “Southern Exposure: A Regional Summit on Racial Violence and Reconciliation,” an educational and inspiring Mississippi conference that brought Commission staff members together with others seeking truth and working for reconciliation around tragic events throughout the South.
On the way to Mississippi, Commission staff members, along with GTCRP Local Task Force Representatives, led a workshop for Davidson College student leaders on “Leading in the Face of Resistance.” Young people will have to carry this work forward, so we always appreciate opportunities to share our work with them.
Volunteer of the Week: Samantha Hargrove, the community organizer who has agreed to coordinate our recruiting effort for GTRC Report Receivers. Thanks, Samantha!
This week’s progress indicator: Representatives from15 organizations working for racial reconciliation across the South learned about and offered insight and encouragement to the GTRC at last weekend’s conference.

Latest news coverage:
Ed Cone blog coverage, Monday, March 20, 2006
Lorraine Ahearn column mention, News & Record, Sunday, March 19, 2006

Our upcoming events:
“Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation,” 2-5 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Nussbaum Room, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop co-sponsored with the Greensboro Public Library as part of Poetry GSO, led by Jacinta White of the Word project, who will present techniques for using poetry as a means of community healing. For info, e-mail info@greensborotrc.org.

GTRC Closing 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

GTRC Public Hearing DVDs

2006-03-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

If you didn't make it to the Commission's public hearings, or if you did and want to remember what was said, click here for more information on ordering the DVD footage of these events.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #55

2006-03-14T18:18:00.000-05:00

As our research team works furiously to find all the facts for the truth portion of our work, we’re looking to the larger community to help carry out the reconciliation part when we’re gone. Will you be there?

Legal questions surrounding the First Amendment, self-defense, and other issues were the focus at our last Commission meeting. We were grateful for the expertise of NCCU Law Professor Irv Joyner, his student assistant Angelica Reza Wind, and Lisa Magarrell of the International Center for Transitional Justice.
A collection of DVDs from our three public hearings is now available for sale, with proceeds going toward our remaining fundraising needs. Click here to order (and encourage other individuals and organizations to do the same).
Volunteer of the Week: Dr. Bill Gentry, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership, who analyzed all evaluations from our public hearings and other events. Thanks, Bill!
This week’s progress indicator: We’ve set the evening for our report sharing ceremony: Thursday, May 25, 2006. Stay tuned for more details!

Latest news coverage:
Yes! Weekly coverage, March 14, 2006

Our upcoming events:
“Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation,” 2-5 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Nussbaum Room, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop co-sponsored with the Greensboro Public Library as part of Poetry GSO, led by Jacinta White of the Word project, who will present techniques for using poetry as a means of community healing. For info, e-mail info@greensborotrc.org.

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

Ubuntu Weekly #54

2006-03-07T16:14:00.000-05:00

Is there hope that the United States can transcend its past and build loving, just and sustainable communities, or is reconciliation just a pipe dream? We’re believers, and we believe our work will make a valuable contribution to the enormous body of work, near and far, toward this end.

We send thanks this week to some fellow contributors, including the Rev. Michael Battle, author of books including “Reconciliation: The Ubuntu Theology of Desmond Tutu,” the Rev. Julie Peeples, pastor of Congregational United Church of Christ, and Dr. Bennett Ramsey, associate professor of Religious Studies at UNCG, who joined Commissioners on Monday to talk about reconciliation from a religious perspective.
Hitting it from another angle, we’re grateful to the Greensboro Public Library for helping us explore the power of poetry as part of Poetry GSO, a community-wide celebration of National Poetry Month, April 1-30. We’re co-sponsoring the workshop “Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation” on April 22. More details are below.
The newest member of our Commission work team is Jennifer McHugh. We’re glad to have her sorely needed research assistance, her experience with community reconciliation initiatives and the International Center for Transitional Justice, and her spirit. Welcome, Jen!
Volunteers of the Week: Jim Keith, John Young and Bishop Chip Marble, three friends and supporters of this process who helped organize our meeting with Rev. Battle. Thanks, Jim! Thanks, John! Thanks, Chip!
This week’s progress indicator: Thanks to a $1,200 mini-grant from the N.C. Humanities Council (Thanks, N.C. Humanities Council!), our fundraising total now stands at $425,109.48, $68,800 short of the total we need to complete our work and produce the high-quality final products we envision.

Latest news coverage:
Blue Plate Special Story Mention, Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Allen Johnson column mention, News & Record, Sunday, March 5, 2006

Our upcoming events:
“Poetry, Truth and Reconciliation,” 2-5 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Nussbaum Room, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop co-sponsored with the Greensboro Public Library as part of Poetry GSO, led by Jacinta White of the Word project, who will present techniques for using poetry as a means of community healing. For info, e-mail steve.sumerford@ci.greensboro.nc.us.

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 Receives Two New Grants

2006-03-06T18:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the Julian Price Family Foundation for making a recent donation of $2,000 to support the GTRC's work.

We also just received word that the GTRC has been awarded a North Carolina Humanities Council mini-grant of $1200 to cover a portion of the interactive timelines in the multimedia version of our report. Here is a portion of our grant proposal describing these timelines:

Our primary goal is that through the Commission’s final report, in general, and an interactive timeline, in particular, we will be able to present the facts and information about the context, causes, sequence and consequence of November 3, 1979, so that community members can begin to examine how their own experiences shape their worldviews and how the Greensboro community can learn from this tragedy. As the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the United States, our secondary goal is to empower other communities to examine their own pasts through similar models. In order to accomplish these goals, we plan to create two interactive timelines that will serve to organize copious amounts of information about the historical context of the events of November 3, 1979, and the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation process in a way that will be accessible to Greensboro community members and also to interested parties on a
national and international level. Both timelines will be available on a DVD and also on a website, which will be available to the public at the end of the Commission's mandate (spring 2006).
The first interactive timeline will identify the events surrounding November 3, 1979, (1960s through 1985) that the Commission finds to be immediately relevant to understanding the shootings. Each of these event entries will include ways to access all relevant newspaper articles, radio and television reports, video footage and/or other documentary evidence. With this information, community members will be equipped to have more thoughtful and fact-based conversations about the tragedy of November 3, 1979. Even those community members who disagree with the Commission’s findings and recommendations will be better equipped to discuss the events.

The second interactive timeline will trace the development of the truth and
reconciliation process in Greensboro. This will span from 1999 when community members first discussed the potential of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to 2006 when the Commission’s final report is released to the community. This timeline will primarily be helpful to other communities in the United States and beyond who are considering their own truth and reconciliation processes. Because of the support of volunteers, the entire process has been documented through video quite thoroughly. In addition to the rich video footage of events like the Swearing-In Ceremony and several meetings with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, this timeline would include many newspaper articles, radio and television news stories and other media for documenting this process.

Special thanks to humanities scholars Millicent Brown and Steve Flynn for being consultants in this project. Millicent is a nationally renowned US civil rights historian at NCA&TSU and Steve is a doctoral student in cultural studies at UNCG.

For an updated list of the GTRC's current funding sources, click here.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

GTRC Welcomes New Research Assistant

2006-03-06T17:46:00.000-05:00

We are pleased to welcome Jennifer McHugh to Greensboro for the next two months as research assistant for the Commission. Jen is volunteering her time and expertise over the next several weeks as she assists with various aspects of our documentary research, report writing, and fact checking efforts. Describing her own background, Jen writes:
Having worked over three years at the ICTJ as a Program Assistant, I grew interested in community reconciliation initiatives and the attempts to address larger issues in society. I am excited at this opportunity to contribute directly and experience the inner workings of a truth commission. Prior to arriving in Greensboro, I completed a Masters degree in International Relations (Univ of Sussex) and worked as a Research Assistant, conducting interviews amongst ethnically diverse neighborhoods in London, for a project on Immigration and Inclusion.
posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Lewis Pitts' Public Hearing Statement Transcript

2006-03-02T14:16:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the transcript of Lewis Pitts' public hearing statement to the Commission at its second public hearings.

Lewis Pitts has been a public interest attorney since 1973 focusing on civil rights, environmental justice, children's rights and participatory democracy. He served as lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the 1985 federal civil trial from which the jury found eight defendants, including a Greensboro police lieutenant, a police detective, a police informant, and five Klan members and Nazis liable for the wrongful death of Dr. Michael Nathan.

Thanks to Chewie and Riley Driver for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Deena Hayes and Spoma Jovanovic's Public Hearing Statements

2006-03-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the transcript from Deena Hayes and Spoma Jovanovic's statements to the Commission in the third public hearing.

Biographical Information:

Dr. Spoma Jovanovic is a Department of Communication faculty member at UNC-Greensboro. Originally from California, she received her B.A. from UCLA and her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Denver. Her scholarly interests include ethics, civic participation and community. She’s active in community-building projects including work to support the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project and Action Greensboro's Creative Character initiative.
Deena Hayes is a member of the Guilford County Board of Education whose work in the community centers on anti-racism efforts and has included service as board chair for the Partnership Project and chair of the state and local NAACP education committees, and active participation in the weekly Community Dialogue on Education. She is a graduate of Guilford College.

Special thanks to Sarah Marshall for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #53

2006-03-01T12:52:00.000-05:00

This is our three-part challenge right now: 1) to create a complete, well-documented final report; 2) to package it in the most broadly accessible formats; and 3) to raise enough money to cover the cost.

Commission Research Assistant Eli Mungo spent three days at Yale University last week at a conference on truth commission archives organized by both the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Artemis Project. Click here to read some of his reflections.
For having us participate in last week’s panel discussion on “Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,“ we offer thanks to Dr. Sheila Whitley, Dr. Eleanor Gwynn and others teaching and learning through the “American South Meets South Africa” project at N.C. A&T State University.
Volunteer of the Week: Matt Perault, a Master of Public Policy student at Duke University who has helped us through work with our friends at the Duke Human Rights Initiative. Thanks, Matt!
This week’s progress indicator: The number of recipients of this weekly newsletter, which we like to think of as the world’s shortest, has recently topped 800.

Latest news coverage:
Yes! Weekly coverage, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006
Related News & Record letter, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006

Related upcoming events:
Call for Dialogue Workshop, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Glenwood Library, 1901 W. Florida St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, March 5, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch, 1420 Price Park Road. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Reflections from the Yale Conference on TRC Archives

2006-02-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

Eli Mungo, GTRC Research Assistant, attended a conference at Yale University last week. The conference pulled together representatives from several different truth and reconciliation commissions around the world and was sponsored by the Artemis Project. This "Managers of Truth Commissions Affinity Group" (MTC) gathering was described by sponsors in the following way:

This special MTC meeting brings together high-level staff from six truth commissions to discuss their experiences and share best practices about strategies for archiving materials and for ensuring that truth commissions’ work is appropriately accessible to a wide range of interested actors. Participants’ first-hand and professional experience will enable them to engage in a practical dialogue with Yale and ICTJ representatives. In addition, Trudy Huskamp Peterson, a leading archivist and the author of a thorough study of truth commission archival practices, will deliver the keynote address, open to the public, and join in the discussions. A roundtable discussion featuring the MTC participants will be also open to the public.

After his first day at the conference, Eli wrote to check in with the rest of us back in Greensboro and reported the following:

First day went well. Right now, we're the darlings of the truth commission world. It seems that the grassroots effort in forming truth commissions are the way to go. As I was listening today, most commissions that were started by acts of governments are having tremendous problems with their archives since they are property of the government at the end of the commission's life. There's a possible truth commission forming in Canada and they have been looking at our mandate as a model. Everyone was impressed with the many different formats that we are using for our final report. Visual attractive formats are very much in need since academia [currently] forms most of the interest in a commission's findings.

posted by: Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #52

2006-02-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

The content’s not yet complete, but the frame of our final report began taking shape last week when we met with the graphic designer who will create it.

With warm thanks to all the designers who responded to our request for proposals, we’re pleased to announce that Oscar Gibson from C.E.S. Graphic Media will design the printed version of our final report, graphics for the multimedia version, and related items.
Volunteer of the Week: Ashely Gravely, a student at Bennett College for Women who has recently joined us and is spending 10 hours a week on research tasks such as transcribing and summarizing statements. Thanks, Ashely!
This week’s progress indicator: Invitations to speak about this first U.S. truth commission keep coming. Next month, staff and one Commissioner will travel to the University of Mississippi to take part in “Southern Exposure: A Regional Summit on Racial Violence and Reconciliation.”

Latest news coverage:
Related Yes! Weekly coverage, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006

Related upcoming events:
"Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building Auditorium, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Glenwood Library, 1901 W. Florida St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, March 5, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch, 1420 Price Park Road. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Ubuntu Weekly #51

2006-02-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine’s Day! Thanks for all the love over the one year, eight months and two days since our Swearing-In Ceremony.

Special thanks to our friends in the TV Studio at N.C. A&T State University, producers of our “TRC Talk” public access show for Cable Channel 8. They’ve made three episodes available online. You can access links to the shows at our blog.
Speaking of A&T, join us next Tuesday for the panel discussion “Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” which will feature Joya, our communications director, as moderator, and Jill, our executive director, as a panelist. The university’s E. Gwynn Dance Company also will perform. See the related events section below for details.
One of the realities of healing via the truth and reconciliation model is that it costs money. We’re soliciting any and all fundraising ideas (or funds!) for covering the costs of an ultra accessible report to the community and our last months of operation. Contact us at info@greensborotrc.org with ideas, donations, encouragement, etc.
Volunteer of the Week: Jerrod Smith of UNCG, who provided valuable assistance to our research team by transferring a 1979-era recording into a new millennium format. Thanks, Jerrod!
This week’s progress indicator: An article published just yesterday on The Storyteller and The Listener blog already has netted positive feedback from audience members previously unaware of the Commission.

Latest news coverage:
The Storyteller and The Listener blog article, Feb. 13, 2006
Metro Magazine coverage, February 2006
Ed Cone blog mention, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006
Related John Hammer column, Rhinoceros Times , Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006

Related upcoming events:
Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Vance Chavis Library, 900 S. Benbow Road, to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building Auditorium, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Glenwood Library, 1901 W. Florida St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, March 5, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch, 1420 Price Park Road. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

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

Hope and the GTRC

2006-02-09T15:23:00.000-05:00

In a discussion thread at Allen Johnson's blog, Jerry Bledsoe posed the following question in the context of a multifaceted discussion about segregation and integration:

Jill,
Last April, Peter Storey spoke at First Baptist Church in a service designed to bring together all faiths, all colors, all cultures. I sat agog on the front row. It was for certain the most unusual service I ever attended at a Baptist Church. Afterward, I went downstairs to the reception, where I exchanged pleasantries with you and others. I couldn't help but notice that a large number of blacks isolated themselves at two big tables. Why this self segregation? Surely, long-standing exclusion and estrangement is at it's roots, but if it couldn't be overcome after a service so powerful as this, in what do you place your hopes?

I found it difficult to respond both concisely and thoughtfully to the question, so I'm afraid I did neither, but here is what I came up with:

Jerry,
I have three thoughts on your very reasonable question of "in what do you place your hopes?" The first two are not my own.

First, I think about something Peter Storey said in that service to which you referred. He talked about a hypothetical situation in which a white farmer and a black farmer met at a crossroads, the white farmer having stolen the black farmer's cow. Standing at the crossroads, the farmers exchanged pleasantries and the white farmer eventually apologized for stealing the cow. The black farmer forgave him and then the white farmer started walking away. The black farmer asked, "What about my cow?" to which the white farmer replied, "Now, we just reconciled. Why do you have to keep bringing up the cow?" As powerful as that service, focused on reconciliation, might have been, I personally think the community still has a lot of truth yet to speak, hear and deal with before we can start getting closer to a society where groups don't
self-segregate.

The second thought I have about hope comes from Cornel West, who, in a meeting last summer with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was asked the same question you've asked here. His response was that he couldn't point to a rational reason to have hope that things can get better, but that, without it, we might as well go and spend the rest of our days in a crack house.

My third answer to why I have hope lies in a story we've seen play out with regard to the events of November 3, 1979. Roland Wayne Wood, one of the shooters that day, has recently come forward to apologize for his actions. Other than adding a bit of remorse, his story has changed litte in 26 years, but his apology has really been meaningful to Signe Waller, widow of Jim Waller who was killed that day. Signe has since met with Wood and accepted his apology. There was no rational reason for her to accept his apology or for him to offer it, but it happened. If a Jewish widow can forgive the former Nazi who played a role in killing her husband, then why not have hope that things can get better?

The question is a good one that I return to almost every day, Jerry. Thanks for giving me an opening to share a portion of those thoughts.

Since writing this response this morning, I've come up with many other ways I could have answered this question, but I'm also curious about how other people would answer. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments if you are willing to do so.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

"TRC Talk" Episodes Available Online

2006-02-08T17:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the folks at Aggie Access Television (North Carolina A&T State University), you can now access three of our "TRC Talk" television episodes:

Episode 1--Commission Swearing-In Ceremony, Part 1
http://aggietv.ncat.edu/TRC1512K_Stream001.wmv

Episode 2--Commission Swearing-In Ceremony, Part 2
http://aggietv.ncat.edu/TRC2512K_Stream001.wmv

Episode 3--Interview with Research Director Emily Harwell
http://aggietv.ncat.edu/TRC3512K_Stream001.wmv

More episodes featuring interviews with Commissioners and staff and excerpts of our three public hearings will be accessible soon.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #50

2006-02-07T11:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks this week to GTCRP Local Task Force member Eileen Curry for procuring some encouragement for us from “Brother to a Dragonfly” author and activist Will Campbell. In his response to her letter, he writes that he’s convinced this Commission “is bearing and will continue to bear important fruit.”

· Among our fruits are lessons being learned by students, including some of Dr. Renee Romano’s history students at Wesleyan University. In groups, they provided the Commission insight on how Greensboro could commemorate the events of Nov. 3, 1979. A course syllabus and the group papers are posted on our blog.

· Our research continues and we continue to seek answers from the Greensboro Police Department. Thanks to interim Chief Tim Bellamy for meeting with us and committing to deliver documents promised last summer. Read more on our blog.

· Volunteer of the Week: Nicky Smith, president and CEO of Carolinanet managed server and colocation services, which has donated our Web space and e-mail, both of which have been reliable and trouble-free. Thanks, Nicky!

· This week’s progress indicator: Of the approximately 40 binders of documents promised to the Commission by the Greensboro Police Department, we’ve so far received 13.

Latest news coverage:
Sojourners Magazine coverage, February 2006
The Inside Scoop blog mention, Feb. 6, 2006
Ed Cone blog mention, Monday, Feb. 6, 2006
Ed Cone column mention, News & Record , Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006
Ed Cone blog coverage, Friday, Feb. 3, 2006
Related Guilford College news, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006
Related News & Record coverage, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2006

Related upcoming events:
(THIS WEEK!) “Oh Freedom Over Me” Opening Reception and Discussion, 6p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th St, Charlotte, N.C. (Reservations requested – call 704.333.1887 ext. 501.) Panel discussion, beginning at 7 p.m., with panelists including GTRC Executive Director Jill Williams speaking about how the Greensboro TRC process relates to the struggle for democracy in South Africa and the civil rights movement in the United States.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Vance Chavis Library, 900 S. Benbow Road, Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Glenwood Library, 1901 W. Florida St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, March 5, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch, 1420 Price Park Road. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

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

Want to make a statement? Want to know more? Want to volunteer or make a financial contribution? Reply to this e-mail or visit our Web site. To opt out of this weekly message, reply with DELETE in the subject line.

Wesleyan University Class Shares Insights with the GTRC

2006-02-06T11:09:00.000-05:00

At Wesleyan University, in last fall's History 358 course, "Contesting the Past: Historical Memory in the United States," Professor Renee Romano and her students explored the ways in which "representations of the past play a critical role in our present-day world." The course syllabus begins:

The great southern writer William Faulkner once remarked, “The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.” Faulkner recognized the importance, the immediacy, the presentness” of the past in contemporary southern, and indeed, American culture. Representations of the past play a critical role in our present-day world. These representations can influence the construction of personal and national identities; they can become ammunition in political arguments about contemporary policies and events; and they can be used both to legitimize the nation-state and to critique the myths around which nation-states are built. In this upper-level seminar, we will explore together the significance of various representations of the American past. By examining public monuments, visual images, films, museums, theme parks, and commemorations, we will explore how historical “truth” and “authenticity” are constructed and how memorialization is itself a process, and often a contested one.

The class looked at the events of November 3, 1979, and the work of the GTRC as one case study in their research and prepared group proposals to the Commission for ways that we may recommend Greensboro commemorate, or not, this tragedy. One assignment, as described in the syllabus, was:

Throughout this course, we will be examining the many ways in which the past is brought alive and communicated in public sites and popular culture. Students will also be participating in the process of remembering and memorializing an event from the past themselves in their group projects. As a class, we will be exploring one particularly contested historical event—the Nazi/Klan killing of five members of the Communist Worker’s Party at a march in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1979. The city of Greensboro remains divided to this day over who is to blame for the killings, whether the city bears any responsibility for the deaths or for the trials in which the shooters were acquitted, and how this event relates to the history of activism and racism in North Carolina.

Students will be divided into small groups of four or five, and each group will be given the task of remembering the events in Greensboro in a different medium. One group will plan a museum exhibit about the 1979 event; another will design a monument. A third group will write a children’s book about what happened in Greensboro, and fourth will develop a curriculum guide for teachers. Other possibilities include developing film or art projects related to Greensboro. All of this work will then be made available to the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC), a group that is seeking to find the truth about the events there and to promote healing and reconciliation.

Even though not all of the groups presented proposals for how the event could be commemorated, they did all present several issues that the Commission should consider as we generate our recommendations. One group shared a report outlining the general issues the Commission should consider as it makes its recommendations about commemorating this event (read that text here). Two other groups wrote about the pros and cons of creating a monument (here) and writing a children's book (here) to commemorate the event. Finally, the last group wrote about the pros and cons of creating a museum exhibit to educate community members about the tragic events and created a proposal for what that exhibit could look like (see it here).

The GTRC appreciates this time, study and input from Professor Romano and her students and will include these submissions in its archive of material gathered. Commissioners will also read these documents as they are considering the recommendations for their final report.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Interim Police Chief Promises Cooperation with GTRC

2006-02-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

GTRC Press Release:

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC) – which still has unanswered questions involving police and the tragedy of Nov. 3, 1979 – met this week with interim Greensboro Police Chief Tim Bellamy to discuss the police department’s cooperation with the GTRC’s research.

Bellamy, who took over leadership of the embattled department upon the Jan. 9 resignation of former chief David Wray, assured Commission representatives that the department would finish delivering previously promised documents by March 1. Bellamy said he had directed Police Attorney Maurice Cawn to work exclusively on that task until all the relevant information is released.

“We realize that Chief Bellamy has a lot on his plate, and we appreciate his commitment to share the documents we need to produce a complete report,” said Emily Harwell, the Commission’s research director. “We feel that, now more than ever, the department’s commitment to transparency is an important step in healing the wounds in our community.”

The GTRC, which is to release its final report this spring, is mandated to examine the context, causes, sequence and consequences of Nov. 3, 1979, when Klan and Nazi members killed five labor organizers and wounded ten others at a “Death to the Klan” rally organized 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 wrongful death for one of the five killed. The verdicts caused widespread confusion. Rumors and misinformation have surrounded the events and their aftermath.

Police Attorney Cawn, who also served in that capacity in 1979, is in the midst of a time-consuming process called “redacting” the documents, or removing records deemed unsuitable for public release. The department already has delivered about one-third of the documents promised to the GTRC last summer.

Harwell specifically has requested a copy of the Operational Plan for the event – a planned rally, parade and conference for which organizers had obtained a permit. She also hopes to receive the unedited radio transcripts for all police frequencies used on Nov. 3, which were prepared as part of an administrative report that was publicly released in edited form in November 1979.

In addition to the police documents, the GTRC also needs individual statements from police officers on the force in 1979. Although two Greensboro police officers and one retired officer spoke at the second of the GTRC’s three public hearings, none had leadership roles in 1979.

Statements still are being sought from current or former officers who can answer specific questions in the following areas:
-the parade permit process;
-advance intelligence about Klan and Nazi plans to confront the marchers;
-police decisions in response to this information;
-critical communication failures prior to and immediately following the shooting;
-the internal affairs investigation process.

Modeled on truth-seeking efforts in South Africa, Peru and elsewhere, the GTRC is the first commission of its kind in the United States. In addition to seeking the truth and working for reconciliation in Greensboro, participants in the process hope it will serve as a model that other U.S. communities can use to address unresolved events in their own histories.

The volunteer commissioners were sworn in on June 12, 2004, hired a staff, and began work that has included taking statements, holding public hearings and a community dialogue, and reviewing documentary evidence.

The Commission’s report will include findings of fact as well as specific recommendations for the Greensboro community and its institutions for pursuing concrete healing, reconciliation and restorative justice.

Will Campbell's Reflections on the GTRC

2006-02-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

Will Campbell, author of Brother to a Dragonfly and at least twelve other books, is a well known preacher, writer and speaker who has been committed to racial justice and human rights for most of his life. In the aftermath of November 3, 1979, Campbell came to Greensboro to try to visit "some of the jailed folk after the killings." Knowing this, Eileen Curry, a Greensboro resident and GTCRP Local Task Force member, wrote to Campbell, a family friend, asking for any thoughts or information he could share with the Commission. Here is the letter she received in response, dated December 30, 2005:

Dear Eileen,
I apologize for the long delay in answering your letter of October last. My excuse is certainly not lack of interest in the important task the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission has undertaken. I have followed the formation and actions of the Commission from afar and am convinced that it is bearing and will continue to bear important fruit . . .

I have no suggestions that strike me as something not already covered. I confess I was troubled by the twice-used statement: "The Klan and Nazi group members who were filmed shooting them were twice aquited [sic] by jury trial." I see more judgement than reconciliation there. I have been criticized in the past for what some have seen as my defending these groups. I do not defend any kind of racism nor any kind of violence. I do continue to believe that hte greatest form of racism, classism and violence is not a covey of largely poor, largely uneducated folk marching around a burning cross in a Carolina cow pasture but the powers that be, lying, misleading and instigating slaughter of the innocent abroad, starving
the poor at home, all in the name of freedom.

All I am suggesting is that the Commission has not been formed to pass judgment on a few by calling them code words (Klan...Nazi) but to help us all to understand how and why these groups were formed in the first place. I.E., we were "ALL" guilty of the killings.

You were right. I did visit some of the jailed folk after the killings. Or, at least I tried to visit. As I recall I was never allowed to visit those in jail but did spend some time with some of their relatives. I recall a young wife who had no idea as to how to go about visiting her husband. And hte father I wrote about in COVENANT was based on a poor and by our standards ignorant farmer who couldn't understand how the country could send one of his boys to fight those alleged to be communist in Vietnam where he was killed instead, but put his other son in jail for perhaps, maybe killing someone right here at home who boasted that they were
Communist. I was hard pressed to dispute the father's grievance without resorting to a "I'm not guilty if I didn't pull the trigger" form of logic.

Well I commend you for your willingness to serve. It is the likes of you, and others on the Commimssion, that give me hope.

In the Faith (somewhere)

Will Campbell

This letter, along with all of the other sources of information being gathered by the GTRC, will be included in the Commission's archives at the end of this process.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Tim Tyson's Public Hearing Statement Transcript

2006-02-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

Please click here for Dr. Timothy Tyson's statement transcript from the GTRC's third public hearing. (The transcript also includes a question and answer session with Tyson, Dr. Millicent Brown and Dr. Michael Roberto.)

Dr. Timothy Tyson is the author of the much-acclaimed Blood Done Sign My Name and other award-winning books. He is a senior research scholar at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies and visiting professor in the Duke Divinity School. A North Carolina native and Duke graduate, he is on leave from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Special thanks to Chewie for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe a public hearing statement, please contact me.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #49

2006-01-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

Greetings,
We’re thankful this week to all who joined us at Bennett College for Women for the announcement that the archives of this historic truth and reconciliation effort will be housed in Bennett’s “herstoric” Carnegie Negro Library – to quote “Sister President” Johnnetta Cole – “from now to forevermore.”

**In keeping with our Mandate, we made the archives decision in conjunction with the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project. We reiterate that the Commission is independent of the Project and will produce an unbiased final report that reflects the perspectives of all of Greensboro.

**Many who have been following and participating in this process have reported learning or rethinking things they didn’t expect. What light bulbs have gone on for you? Send us reflections that we can post on our blog to inspire more dialogue. E-mail them, along with a photo of yourself, to info@greensborotrc.org.

**Volunteer of the Week: Commissioner Mark Sills, who’s sharing his keen intellect and extraordinary faith with this effort while keeping up his great work with FaithAction. Thanks, Mark!

**This week’s progress indicator: Our latest foundation contributor is the Julian Price Family Foundation, which we thank for its donation of $2,000.

Latest news coverage:
NPR interview mention, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2006 (Transcribed portion here.)
Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006
News & Record coverage, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006
Associated Press coverage, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006

Related upcoming events:
Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Vance Chavis Library, 900 S. Benbow Road, to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Glenwood Library, 1901 W. Florida St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, March 5, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch, 1420 Price Park Road. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

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

Archbishop Tutu speaks on NPR about GTRC

2006-01-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, "All Things Considered" aired an interview between Debbie Elliott and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Listen to the recording here.

Here is a highlight from the interview that includes his mention of Greensboro's TRC:

Tutu: I think that the US probably needs to go through the process of healing through our truth and reconciliation commission process.

Elliott: Why?

Tutu: Because this country has not really faced up to the legacy of slavery or of the dispossession of Native Americans. But there is a pain which is sitting in the pit of the tummy of virtually every African American and every Native American. It is a pain that needs to be brought to the surface, articulated. Articulated in a thing like a truth and reconciliation commission type, where you have a safe space and people can say whatever it is that bothers them knowing that they are not going to be shouted down.

Elliott: You know when you talk about that process, I covered several of the old civil rights trials in this country. And there are always people right before those trials start who say, “Why are we doing this. This is just bringing up old animosities; this is just making things worse.”

Tutu: People almost always will say that. Don’t bring up the past. Let bygones be bygones. Unfortunately, they don’t get to be bygones. They have an incredible capacity to return and haunt us. Now you know what? There is in fact a city in your country that has decided it was going to have a truth and reconciliation commission. Greensboro. There was an incident in 1979 when a number of people were killed because there was a protest against a Ku Klux Klan march. And some of the people came to testify and one of the people who came and with whom I spoke was a white woman whose husband was killed. And I asked her, “How did you feel after you testified?” She said something that we found happened at home. She said, “Well it was cathartic. I came and I told my story and I’ve probably told this story many times, but to have told it in this particular setting just did something for me.” I’m not aware actually of too many people who are hungry for revenge. Most people would like acknowledgement and the aim of telling your story is that you are acknowledged and if the perpetrator takes responsibility it goes a very long way in the healing process.

(Also included in this post are pictures from the GTRC's meeting on November 2, 2005, with the Archbishop.)

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Bennett College for Women to House Truth and Reconciliation Process Archives

2006-01-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

From a recent press release:

The Carnegie Negro Library at Bennett College for Women, 900 E. Washington St., has been chosen to house the archives of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project, the two entities announced in a joint news conference at the Holgate Library at Bennett College for Women today (Wednesday, Jan. 25).

The Project made history in 2003 when it launched the democratic process that created the independent Commission and charged it with examining the context, causes, sequence and consequences of the violence of Nov. 3, 1979, which resulted in the deaths of five people, including former Bennett student body president Sandra Neely Smith.

Greensboro has received international recognition as the first American community to try truth and reconciliation as a route to restorative justice. With today’s announcement, students, scholars and people from other communities needing information will know they can find it at Bennett College.

“As a part of this gut-wrenching part of history, Bennett College for Women is excited about continuing its involvement by becoming part of this truly outstanding and one-of-a-kind initiative,” said Dr. Claudette Williams, the college’s executive vice president. “This will not be just something to look at, but something from which you can learn.”

Dr. Williams, said the archive will support Bennett’s mission, which includes offering “educational processes that build community, foster authentic research, create knowledge, and advance scholarship and personal empowerment.”

The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Archives will preserve for future generations such items as audio files of statements taken by the Commission; video footage of public hearings, other public events and key meetings; photographs and other memorabilia; and documents such as depositions, transcripts and copies of the Commission’s final report, which will be released in April.

The Carnegie Negro Library was built on the corner of East Washington and Macon streets during the 1923-1924 school year. Funded by the Carnegie Foundation, the library was maintained by the city as a public library for blacks. When the city built a black public library, it deeded Carnegie over to Bennett College. Over the years, the library has been used for office space and was renovated in 1999.

In keeping with the Commission’s Mandate, Commissioners, Commission staff, and Project leaders worked together to choose among the three proposals submitted. The others were submitted by the libraries of N.C. A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“We are extremely thankful for all three of the wonderful proposals we received,” said Jill Williams, executive director of the Commission. “Bennett’s proposal was deemed the strongest, primarily because of the College’s commitment to making it a dynamic centerpiece in its library’s offerings to students and to the public.”

Former Greensboro Mayor Carolyn Allen, co-chair of the Project’s Local Task Force, noted that the Project was started to serve the entire community, which Bennett College also does. “It’s significant that this will be available through a college that has contributed so much to Greensboro through the decades, and that was the campus home of Sandi Smith,” Allen said.

Joyce Johnson, an initiator of the Project and a close friend of the late Smith, agreed: “To have an institution that will cherish this work as much as those of us who have been working on it is very important,” she said.

In organizing and maintaining the archive, Bennett will work closely with the International Center for Transitional Justice (www.ictj.org), which has served as a consultant to the Greensboro process, as it has in other nations including Peru and East Timor. Bennett’s Dr. Williams and Commission research assistant Elijah Mungo will travel to Yale University next month for a three-day conference coordinated by ICTJ and involving archivists from several international truth commissions.

Ubuntu Weekly #48

2006-01-25T14:01:00.000-05:00

Greetings,
The central question of this Commission’s work was the title of our last public hearing: “What does the past have to do with the present and the future?” As our report-writing process forces us to delve deeply into a dark part of the past, we’re keeping the faith that we can add light to the whole city’s present and future.

**Hope you’ll be able to join us and Dr. Johnnetta Cole tomorrow at the historic campus of Bennett College for Women, for an announcement about a partnership for the future. We invite interested community members and our media friends (details are below).

**Graphic Designer Needed: The Commission is seeking proposals from freelance graphic designers to design the written and multimedia versions of final report. Visit our blog for more details and spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

**Volunteer of the Week: Art Blundell, a Commission friend who – when he’s in town – can be counted on to become volunteer extraordinaire at the drop of a hat (or public hearing or pile of depositions). Thanks, Art!

**This week’s progress indicator: In her keynote address at the Greensboro Human Relations Commission’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. memorial breakfast last week, former Greensboro Councilwoman Claudette Burroughs-White urged roughly 1,000 people in attendance not to fear the truth and reconciliation process.

Latest news coverage:
Greensboro101.com blog coverage, Monday, Jan. 23, 2006
Allen Johnson column mention, News & Record, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006
Plead the First blog cartoon, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006
Hogg’s Blog coverage, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2006
Wendi C. Thomas column, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006

Upcoming event:
Community Announcement/News Conference, 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006, Holgate Library, Bennett College for Women, 900 E. Washington St. (Enter off Washington Street and security officers will direct you to parking.) For more information, e-mail joya@greensborotrc.org.

Related upcoming events:
Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Vance Chavis Library, 900 S. Benbow Road. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Glenwood Library, 1901 W. Florida St. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Call for Dialogue Workshop, 2:30-5 p.m. Sunday, March 5, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch, 1420 Price Park Road. Workshop designed to explore the concept of dialogue and how to apply it to current issues including the truth and reconciliation process. Sponsored by the Call for Dialogue Project (funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro). For info, e-mail Dialogue@uncg.edu.

Seeking Freelance Graphic Designer

2006-01-24T11:36:00.000-05:00

The GTRC is seeking a graphic designer who can work with the Commission over the next two months to lay out the written and multimedia versions of its final report, to be released later this spring. Interested designers should click here for more information.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #47

2006-01-18T17:01:00.000-05:00

While the city buzzes about the changes happening in the Greensboro Police Department, we’re staying out of the fray and keeping focused on our research of the context, causes, sequence and consequences of Nov. 3, 1979.

All interested community members are invited to join us at 10 a.m. next Wednesday, Jan. 25, for a news conference announcing an important new partnership. The news conference will happen in the Holgate Library at Bennett College for Women, located at 900 E. Washington St. (Enter off Washington Street and security officers will direct you to parking.) For more information, e-mail joya@greensborotrc.org.
Our six-hour Commission meeting last week featured input from consultants Lisa Magarrell, who’s offered guidance from the start as part of the International Center for Transitional Justice, and Irving Joyner, an NCCU Law professor helping us understand the justice issues linked to Nov. 3, 1979. Big thanks to both.
We’re also sending thanks this week to Page High School social studies teacher Daryl Florance for inviting Joya, our communications director, to talk about the Commission’s work with the students of his African American history class. Thanks, too, to every student who became a part of this process by being a part of last week’s spirited dialogue.
Volunteer of the Week: Neubia Williams, a UNCG student looking toward law school whose volunteer work has included helping with Commission public events and summarizing statements. Thanks, Neubia!
This week’s progress indicator: Dr. Spoma Jovanovich of UNCG, along with student volunteers Christina Sanchez and Kristi Parker, so far has collected 365 newspaper articles helpful to the Commission’s research.

Upcoming event:
Community Announcement/Press Conference, 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006, Holgate Library, Bennett College for Women, 900 E. Washington St. (Enter off Washington Street and security officers will direct you to parking.) For more information, e-mail joya@greensborotrc.org.

Related upcoming event:
“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Latest news coverage:
News & Record Related Letter-to-the-Editor, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006
Chewie World Order related blog coverage, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006
Pandagon blog coverage, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006
Related News & Record coverage, Jan. 10, 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

Ubuntu Weekly #46

2006-01-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

While we collect last bits of information and devote countless hours to digesting it, we’re encouraged to hear from more and more community members that they’re eagerly anticipating our final product, which will be released in both printed and multimedia formats.

**A committee of Commissioners and staff met last week on planning that product, brainstorming and reviewing CD-ROMs created by the truth commissions in Peru and South Africa, and by the Cincinnati Police-Community Relations Collaborative.

**We welcome contributions – both of ideas for helpful components to include in our multimedia report and of money. The more resources we have to work with, the better able we’ll be to make our work accessible to many different audiences.

**Volunteer of the Week: Lya Wesley Britt, who came to visit Greensboro during our second public hearing and got pressed into service making the video log notes that are now making it easier to cull key footage for our hearing DVDs and multimedia report. Thanks, Lya!

**This week’s progress indicator: Commissioners will discuss the first complete report chapter draft at their meeting this week. The chapter covers the sequence of events surrounding Nov. 3, 1979, and the preceding incident in China Grove.

Related upcoming events:
“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Latest news coverage:
Related New York Times editorial, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006
Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006
More Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006
Related coverage, Newsweek, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006
Yes! Weekly coverage, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 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

Ubuntu Weekly #45

2006-01-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! We’re back from our break, recharged and ready for what promises to be four months worth of intense work to finish our mandated work by the end of April.

**We’re working to make sure people who won’t read our final report still can access our findings through the multimedia/DVD/CD-Rom version. We’re open to input on what all such a product might include. E-mail your thoughts to info@greensborotrc.org.

**Volunteer of the Week: Muktha Jost, the Commissioner whose sweet spirit and compelling ability to organize and present information are as much a blessing to us, especially as we create our final report, as they are to her family, friends and instructional technology students at N.C. A&T State University. Thanks, Muktha!

**This week’s progress indicator: After 18 months of twice-a-month meetings, our volunteer Commissioners have stepped up that schedule to meet almost weekly in the push to complete this work.

Related upcoming events:
“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Latest news coverage:
Charlotte Observer mention, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006
Greensboro101.com blog coverage, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005
News & Record editorial mention, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005
News & Record roundup mention, Friday, Dec. 30, 2005
The Editor’s Log related story, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005
Yes! Weekly coverage, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005
News & Record coverage, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005
News & Record AP coverage, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005

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

Ubuntu Weekly #44

2005-12-22T12:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays! With special gratitude to all who have lent their time and talents to supporting this work, we send to all a wish for peace in the season and the New Year.

**We won’t send a newsletter next week because our office will be closed. Look for the next edition of Ubuntu Weekly – No. 45 – on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006.

**Thanks to the libraries at UNCG, N.C. A&T State University and Bennett College for submitting proposals for housing the Commission's archives once our work is complete. We're evaluating the proposals and will make a decision soon.

**Volunteer of the Week: Sue Keith, a recent Guilford College retiree who was a teacher to many of the Guilford grads who have played such important roles in this process, and who has contributed time transcribing statements for the Commission. Thanks, Sue!

**This week’s progress indicator: Retired Greensboro Police Officer Jim Ballance, despite early public criticism of this truth and reconciliation effort, spent three hours meeting with Commissioners last week, sharing documents as well as his valuable perspective and recollections.

Related upcoming events:
“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the A&T Departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Journalism and Mass Communication. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Latest news coverage:
Durham Herald Sun coverage, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005
News & Record AP coverage, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005
WXII-12 coverage, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005
Sample of additional AP coverage, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005

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 Interview with Retired GPD Officer Jim Ballance

2005-12-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Several Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners and staff had the opportunity to spend nearly three hours last week taking a statement from retired Greensboro Police Officer Jim Ballance, who spent years examining the physical evidence related to the shootings on November 3, 1979. In order to visually represent the physical evidence he examined, Ballance, an artist, created many diagrams that he has shared with the Commission. To the left, you see one example that represents a particular moment in the event at Everett and Carver Streets. Mr. Ballance's attention to detail in these representations has already helped Commissioners and staff to better understand the nuances of the tragedy of November 3, 1979.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Willena Cannon's Public Hearing Statement Transcript

2005-12-14T14:23:00.000-05:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Willena Cannon's statement at the GTRC's third public hearing.

Willena Cannon was a member of the CWP in 1979 who arrived on the scene after the shooting and was arrested there. Involved since 1963 in the Civil Rights Movement, she has participated in the African Liberation Movement, the Blind Workers Strike, the Cafeteria Workers Strike, the K-Mart boycott and the struggle for district representation on the City Council. She currently works as community housing organizer for the Greensboro Housing Coalition.

Thanks to Sue Keith for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #43

2005-12-13T17:09:00.000-05:00

At our last meeting we solidified a process for completing the enormous task of processing all the information we’re collecting into a cohesive final report. It’s still a bear of a job, but we’re on track to getting it done.

*Also last week, we met with Roland Wayne Wood, the former Klansman and Nazi who was among the shooters on Nov. 3, 1979. We believe his initiative to express regret reflects the potential of this process to lead this community toward healing.

*Holiday Gift Idea: A donation to the Commission in honor of someone on your list can be a great alternative gift. For details, visit our blog.

*Volunteer of the Week: Brynne Kirk, a recent Guilford College grad who was one of our hardest-working and most reliable public event volunteers. Thanks, Brynne!

*This week’s progress indicator: The 150 participants in our Community Dialogue on Nov. 5 brainstormed 66 group recommendations for the Commission’s final report, 102 individual recommendations and 110 current issues related directly or indirectly to Nov. 3, 1979. For details on this data, visit here.

Related upcoming events:
“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Latest news coverage:
Jim Buie Blog coverage, Dec. 10, 2005
News & Record editorial mention, Dec. 9, 2005
Related News & Record coverage, Dec. 8, 2005
Yes! Weekly coverage, Dec. 6, 2005
Related Yes! Weekly coverage, Dec. 6, 2005

GTRC Meets with Roland Wayne Wood

2005-12-13T16:54:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners and Staff met with Roland Wayne Wood, former Nazi and Klan member and one of the shooters in the events of November 3, 1979. During the interview, Wood expressed regret about having participated in the shootings and apologized to the widows of those who died that day. He plans to meet with at least one of those widows and family members soon. We believe that the intiative Wood took to express this regret represents the potential the truth and reconciliation process has to lead this community towards healing.

This interview was just one of many we are busy conducting this month in order to finalize our statement taking process soon. Please let us know if you or someone you know has information to share with us in either a verbal or written statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

GTRC Community Dialogue Issues and Recommendations

2005-12-13T15:35:00.000-05:00

On November 5, 2005, approximately 150 community members and volunteers participated in a day-long series of facilitated conversations designed:
· To give the community a voice in the Commission’s final report recommendations
· To help the community, including the Commission, to better understand the issues surrounding the events of Nov. 3, 1979, and how they are connected to our present and future.
· To lay a foundation for community bridge building over time.

Early in the day, participants generated lists of brainstormed issues still affecting Greensboro that are either directly or indirectly linked to the events of November 3, 1979. From this extensive list of brainstormed issues, a shorter list of issues were generated and each of the following were then discussed further:
· Health Care/Housing/Living Conditions
· Developing Community Leadership
· Continuing Reconciliation
· Media Accountability
· Government Accountability (including police)
· Acknowledging November 3, 1979
· Economic Justice
· Workers’ Rights (no one chose to participate in this discussion)
· Confronting Racism
· Education/School System
· Education/Civic Participation

Each of the small groups were assigned one of these topics and were asked to generate ideas (first individually, then as groups) for ways to address these issues. Each small group was asked to consider the following overarching themes:
· Confronting Racism
· Building Community (Trust and Communication)
· Fostering Reconciliation
· Healing the Soul

Participants first brainstormed ideas for recommendations addressing their chosen issue and then groups processed these ideas and ultimately created a list of group recommendations.

******************************************************

Included in this document are the data generated in these discussions, including:
· Group recommendations—At the end of the day, small groups generated a list of 66 recommendations for working toward community healing around the events of November 3, 1979. These recommendations are directed to the city, institutions, and individuals in the Greensboro, NC community. (This data came from the following two sets of raw data.)
· Brainstormed issues –Early in the day, participants brainstormed issues either directly or indirectly linking Greensboro in 2005 to the events of November 3, 1979. This is a list of all of the ideas generated by individuals in this session.
· Brainstormed recommendations—This is a list of all of the participants’ ideas for recommendations generated during a silent brainstorming session.
· Bridge Building Groups—Because one of the goals of the Community Dialogue was to lay the foundation for community bridge building, we asked participants to add to a list of local organizations which contribute to bridge building in Greensboro.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: None of this data represents views formally endorsed by the GTRC. It will be reviewed and considered by the GTRC for its final report, but this document only represents the ideas shared by community members in the Community Dialogue.)

Please click here to view the entire report.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

GTRC Holiday Gift Idea

2005-12-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

An alternative holiday gift in the form of a donation to the GTRC may be that perfect present for someone this season. If you are interested in giving such a gift, send a check (payable to Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro) to:

Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
122 N. Elm St, Suite 505
Greensboro, NC 27401

And indicate that you are making the donation as an alternative gift. Make sure to let us know how we can best deliver you a card that you can give as a token of your gift, as well as a public hearings poster (pictured to the left). Donations made through the mail are tax deductible.

(No donation necessary for a public hearings poster. Just contact me if you'd like to receive one. Supplies are limited.)

For information about other ways to make a donation to the GTRC, click here.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #42

2005-12-06T17:49:00.000-05:00

Greetings,

The three South Africans on the panel last week at N.C. A&T State University offered answers for those who question using the truth and reconciliation in Greensboro. It was clear from the discussion that the value of talking truthfully and respectfully is universal – and badly needed in the United States.

Last call for statements! We’d like to wrap up the information-gathering phase of this work by the end of the year so we can focus on processing all the information we’ve got. Please contact us to make a statement if you have relevant information. Please encourage other likely community members to do so as well.

This week’s progress indicator: So far the Commission has recorded nearly 150 hours of worth of verbal statements.

Our Upcoming Events:

“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Part of the multi-year A&T project, “The American South Meets South Africa.” Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu. Free.

Latest news coverage:

GTRC Statement Taking Drawing to a Close

2005-11-30T14:56:00.000-05:00

As we are slowly transitioning from our information gathering phase to our information processing phase, I encourage everyone who has any relevant information to share with the Commission about the context, causes, sequence or consequences of November 3, 1979, to contact us to make a statement. Statement givers can share information through a one-on-one interview or by submitting information in writing.

We would like to have as many statements as possible taken by the close of 2005. So send us an email or give us a call (336-275-6462) as soon as possible if you haven't yet given a statement but would like to do so.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Public Hearing Excerpts

2005-11-29T15:45:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, here's a link to the News and Record's Ideas piece (October 30, 2005)which featured pictures and quotes from half of our public hearing speakers:

Page 1
Page 2

Thanks to the News and Record staff and, in particular, Elma Sabo for working on this piece so that people who didn't attend the hearings could learn more about what happened and so that those who did could be reminded of what was said.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #41

2005-11-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

Ubuntu Weekly
- an update from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
No. 41 – Nov. 29, 2005

Greetings,
This week we offer thanks to the Ervin Lee Brisbon Fund for a $6,000 grant supporting our work toward a better future for all of Greensboro. The fund honors the late community activist and his legacy of advocating for African American children.

*We’re also sending thanks down East Market Street – to the News & Record’s editorial writers for counting us among the city’s blessings, and to N.C. A&T State University for the chance to participate in and learn from events tonight and in February (see below). Joya, our communications director, will moderate tonight; Jill, our executive director, will do so in February. Both events are part of A&T’s multi-year project, “The American South Meets South Africa.”

*Except for a few holes we’d love more volunteer help filling, we’ve compiled all the transcripts (and links to the podcasts) from our three public hearings in one place. Check ’em out.

*Volunteer of the Week: Kendra Dalton, visiting us from Pulaski, Va., for helping with our fundraising mailing last week and for general office assistance. Thanks, Kendra!

*This week’s progress indicator: We sent more than 600 letters to individuals and congregations seeking the remaining funds we need to publish printed and multimedia versions of our final report. (To make a donation, click here.)

Related upcoming events:
(TONIGHT) “My Life Under Apartheid,” panel discussion, video presentation and performance by the E. Gwynn Dancers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, Merrick Auditorium, N.C. A&T State University. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu.

“Healing Via Truth and Reconciliation,” panel discussion and video presentation, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2006, New Classroom Building, N.C. A&T State University. Part of “The American South Meets South Africa” project. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu.

Latest news coverage:
News & Record coverage, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005
Related News & Record editorial, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2005
Related Thinking Out Loud blog coverage, Friday, Nov. 26, 2005
Related Triad Business Journal coverage, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2005
Related Miami Herald coverage, Friday, Nov. 25, 2005
News & Record editorial mention, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005

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

Public Hearing Speaker Transcripts, Revised

2005-11-23T11:29:00.000-05:00

After feedback from readers on the frustration of finding public hearing information in one place, I put together one page where you can find it all--lists of speakers for each hearing, biographical information, and links to statement transcripts and sound files (c/o the News and Record) for each hearing. As more statements are transcribed, I will continue to post them here and to update the links on the single page.

Thanks for your feedback and please keep letting me know how to make this information more accessible. All of the work that has gone into it won't be worth anything if it isn't easily navigable.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Alison Duncan and Cesar Weston's Transcribed Statements

2005-11-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Alison Duncan and Cesar Weston's statements at the GTRC's third public hearing.

Alison Duncan is the daughter of former CWP members Robert and Alaine Duncan, who believes her life has been colored by Nov. 3, although she hadn’t yet been born. A resident of Philadelphia, Pa., she is a 2004 graduate of Guilford College, where she double majored in English and Health Sciences and minored in math, African American Studies and visual arts.

Cesar Weston, son of Larry and Floris Weston, was named after Floris’s first husband, Cesar Cauce, who was among the five killed on November 3. As a student, recent graduate and Bonner Scholar at Guilford College, he was active in local politics and service to the community. He has joined the Peace Corps and will depart soon for service either in the former Soviet Union or China.

Thanks to Lauren Jones, GTRC Volunteer, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #40

2005-11-22T17:55:00.000-05:00

- an update from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
No. 40 – Nov. 22, 2005

Greetings,

As the deadline for our final report draws near, we’re focusing almost all of our resources on research. Our public events, for the most part, are over. Although we hope to plan another GTRC Social at some point, the enormity of our task, unfortunately, leaves little time for socializing.

*We offer thanks this week to the Ohio-based Romano Family Foundation for its $10,000 donation in support of our work. This granting agency provides small gifts to organizations that are seeking to improve their communities.

*Thanks, too, to the Greensboro Historical Museum and Charles Blackmon of the law firm Gray Johnson Blackmon Lee & Lawson for providing space for two important research meetings last week. Thanks in part to the comfortable accommodations, both meetings were meaningful and productive.

*Volunteer of the Week: Christina Sanchez, a Guilford College student who has contributed many hours over two semesters researching media coverage of the tragedy of Nov. 3, 1979, its aftermath, and the truth and reconciliation process. Thanks, Christina!

*This week’s progress indicator: Not counting statements and court documents housed in Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Commission has collected more than 14 linear feet of other documentary evidence from various sources.

Related upcoming events:
“My Life Under Apartheid,” panel discussion and performance by the E. Gwynn Dancers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, Merrick Auditorium, N.C. A&T State University. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu.

Latest news coverage:
Yes! Weekly coverage, Nov. 22, 2005.

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

Ubuntu Weekly #39

2005-11-18T17:52:00.000-05:00

- an update from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
No. 39 – Nov. 15, 2005

Greetings,
Having committed to making our work explicitly anti-racist, the Commission will devote a second session this week to consulting with local trainers for The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. We offer thanks to our trainers, Monica Walker and Barton Parks of the Justice and Policy Studies Department at Guilford College, and Guilford County Board of Education member Deena Hayes.

*Thanks also to Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for donating the captioning service provided for our second public hearing – nearly a $2,000 value!

*The Commission staff this week announces that Eli Mungo – a N.C. State University grad, Greensboro native and GTRC volunteer and adjunct staff member since March – is our new part-time research assistant. Welcome, Eli!

*Volunteer of the Week: Spoma Jovanovic, the UNCG faculty member who we thank for serving as one of our Community Dialogue’s volunteer facilitators, for helping us with media analysis research, and for using her communications studies discipline to get students involved in participatory learning about this city’s encounter with truth and reconciliation. Thanks, Spoma!

*This week’s progress indicator: Roland Wayne Wood, a former American Nazi Party member and one of the Nov. 3, 1979, shooters, has issued a public apology and will give a statement to the Commission.

Related upcoming events:
“My Life Under Apartheid,” panel discussion and performance by the E. Gwynn Dancers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, Merrick Auditorium, N.C. A&T State University. Contact Sheila Whitley at 334-7211, ext. 3008, whitley@ncat.edu.

Latest news coverage:
Allen Johnson column, News & Record, Nov. 13, 2005
Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Nov. 10, 2005
More Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Nov. 10, 2005
Afrique Kilimanjaro column, Carolina Peacemaker, Nov. 10, 2005
Yes! Weekly coverage, Nov. 9, 2005
More Yes! Weekly coverage, Nov. 9, 2005
More Yes! Weekly coverage, Nov. 9, 2005

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 Welcomes Research Assistant

2005-11-15T09:41:00.000-05:00

I am happy to introduce the newest member of the GTRC staff, Eli Mungo. Here is a little bit of information about our new research assistant:

Elijah P. Mungo (B.A Business Management, NC State University) is a native of SE Greensboro and is member of the 1991 graduating class of Grimsley High School. He is coming back to Greensboro after spending the last 14 years in Raleigh. He came back to Greensboro with the specific intention of working with the Commission. During his time in the capital city, Eli held a number of different positions in the computer and biochemistry sectors. Eli is a self-described curious child, always looking to learn more. He is an avid fan of all things music and computers. Upon finishing his work with the Commission, Eli has hopes of opening a spot where he can introduce the masses to new types of music.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Public Hearing Speaker Statement Transcripts

2005-11-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

Please click here for links to all of the transcribed public hearing statements in one place.

These transcriptions represent hundreds of hours of volunteer time. And we still have several more statements that need to be transcribed. Please contact me if you have the time and inclination to transcribe one of our remaining statements.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Rev. Mazie Ferguson's Statement Transcript

2005-11-09T14:22:00.000-05:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Rev. Mazie Ferguson's statement at the GTRC's third public hearing.

Rev. Ferguson is president of the Greensboro-area’s Pulpit Forum ministerial alliance, an attorney and a gender-breaking N.C. Missionary Baptist pastor. A native of Sumter, S.C., and a lifelong activist who has served on numerous boards and commissions, she is a preacher, teacher, theologian and writer. She has a B.A. from S.C. State University, a J.D. from the University of South Carolina. Ordained in 1991, she is the founding pastor of Liberation Baptist Church, a motivational speaker for justice, and a coach and counselor with her consulting company, The Refinery.

Thanks to Sarah Marshall, GTRC adjunct staff, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Jim Wrenn's Statement Transcript

2005-11-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Jim Wrenn's statement at the GTRC's third public hearing.

Jim Wrenn was among the 10 people wounded on Nov. 3. He lives and works in North Carolina and is a member of the N.C. Public Service Workers Union Local 150.

If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Gary Curtis Cepnick's Statement Transcript

2005-11-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Gary Curtis Cepnick's statement at the GTRC's third public hearing.

Gary was the news director at WFMY on Nov. 3, 1979. Prior to a career change in 1999, Curtis worked 30 years in broadcasting, including 15 years in management positions with Gannett, McGraw-Hill, Harte-Hanks and Chronicle. He is the recipient of numerous journalism and broadcasting awards.

Thanks to Caroline Blair, UNCG volunteer, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Reflections on the GTRC's Community Dialogue

2005-11-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

The following are personal reflections by Jill Williams (GTRC Exec. Dir.) on Saturday’s community dialogue and do not represent the views of anyone else associated with the GTRC:

Our community dialogue this weekend did basically what the Commission had hoped. It offered the nearly 150 community members who participated and/or volunteered an opportunity to get to know some people they hadn’t known before, share their perspectives about the events of November 3, 1979, and hear others, and begin generating and sharing ideas for how to make Greensboro a stronger community based, hopefully, on a better understanding of this tragic history. In doing these things, the event certainly moved us in the direction of seeking truth and working for reconciliation. The mayor and others previously unengaged in or opposed to this process even showed up, a fact several have pointed to as proof of the progress of the truth and reconciliation process.

With these goals realized, I’ve had a hard time understanding my own unsettled feelings about the success of the event, two aspects of which I’ll try to describe below.

First, my expectations for the day were unrealistic. Although eight hours was a long time to ask participants to attend an event on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, it was not enough time for the group to adequately engage with each other about what happened on November 3, 1979, and to generate lists of issues and recommendations directly or indirectly linked to those events and still relevant in the city of Greensboro. In addition, the structure was not as inclusive as it should have been. In an evaluation, one participant noted, “The rules and structure of this event seemed more conducive for participation of people of privilege than for that of many of the ‘grassroots’ at the bottom.” Perhaps more of the day should have been dedicated to the “open mic” session we had at the end of the day where anyone could address their thoughts to the large group (although I see inclusivity problems with that model as well). Although one of the two simply stated goals of the GTRC is “seeking truth,” I’m starting to think that an equally important goal is creating a space where people can speak the truth and be heard.

This brings me to the second aspect of the day that left me feeling unsettled. Having issued several different invitations to the mayor and city council members to attend our public hearings and this community dialogue, we were all delighted that Mayor Holliday and Councilwoman Burroughs-White attended Saturday’s event and that the mayor shared a few reflections with the participants when he arrived(see Chewie’s post for a transcript). My unsettled feeling came after the mayor made his remarks and then sat down to listen to other participants’ reflections.

Having been raised in the South as a middle class white woman, I’m fluent in the language of civility that seeks to minimize divisions and conflicts. As the executive director of the GTRC and one of the many who personally invited many of Saturday’s participants (including the mayor), I felt a bit like a hostess for the day, responsible for the comfort of the guests. When people began responding to the mayor’s remarks and presence with their own perspectives that were often critical of Mr. Holliday personally, I felt paralyzed. On the one hand, I wanted to affirm those guests who had the courage to stand up and speak the truth as they understood it even if speaking it did challenge a powerful person in our community. On the other hand, I felt this strange (though not surprising) desire to protect the mayor from at least one participant’s comment: “Lead us, follow us, or get out of our way.” I felt protective first, because I believe that the mayor has said in the past that he would like nothing more than to “get out of our way” and second (and probably more to the point), because I am sure the comment made him feel uncomfortable.

In retrospect, I realize that my intuitively protective attitude toward the mayor at this event was unproductive for at least two reasons. First, if I had acted on it, it could have kept the speaker from being heard in that moment; like I said, I believe that allowing people to speak the truth and be heard is the most important first step in this TRC process. Second, my intuitive response dehumanized the mayor because it ignored the fact that he is an adult who chose to come to this event and to listen to people’s unfiltered comments. Any attempt to try to filter those statements (however well intentioned the attempt would be) would ultimately subvert this work towards truth and reconciliation.

In the end, my unsettled feelings about the event are probably symptoms of the fact that the greatest obstacle to seeking truth and working for reconciliation in this event was me, or at least my intuition (a) to create a structure for the discussions to keep them on track and “safe” and (b) to make sure everyone felt comfortable. Everyone else was doing his or her job. Participants, including the mayor, came ready to speak and to listen.

I share these reflections in a public way not only to try to enhance the transparency of this process, but also because I think that my unsettled feelings about the community dialogue are probably not so different from many people’s unsettled feelings about the entire truth and reconciliation process. In the search for truth and reconciliation, we all have to examine our own behaviors to figure out how we are maintaining systems that keep people from being able to speak and hear each others’ truths. Such examination is unsettling and, for some of us, it is much easier to keep looking ahead and outward to plan for the future rather than looking back to history or inward at our own actions and intuitions so that we can make more fundamental changes.

Ubuntu Weekly #38

2005-11-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

an update from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
No. 38 – Nov. 8, 2005

Greetings,

This week we celebrate the hour Commissioners and staff had with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, where we received blessings, encouragement, advice and the gift of his wonderfully playful spirit. We also celebrate the 145 people who joined us in devoting a sunny and warm Saturday to talking about some dark and difficult issues.

Special thanks to our friends at Mount Zion Baptist Church for hosting our Community Dialogue on Saturday, and thanks to Kimber Guard and Patrol and the Greensboro Police Department for their service.

As part of our ongoing research, Commissioners have compiled individual lists of “burning questions.” Do you have burning questions surrounding Nov. 3, 1979? Post them on our blog or e-mail info@greensborotrc.org.

Volunteer of the Week: Commissioner Pat Clark of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Nyack, N.Y., whose service as host and leader of our team of Community Dialogue volunteers is part of her much-appreciated commitment to this historic work – in a community that’s not her own.

This week’s progress indicator: We saw lots of new faces at our Dialogue, including critics, skeptics and local officials.

Latest news coverage:
Greensboro 101 blog coverage, Nov. 7, 2005
Related coverage, News & Record, Monday, Nov. 7, 2005
Chewie World Order blog coverage, Nov. 6, 2005
More Chewie World Order blog coverage, Nov. 6, 2005
ThatzWhat’sUp blog coverage, Nov. 6, 2005
Ed Cone blog coverage, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005
More Ed Cone blog coverage, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005
News & Record coverage, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005
John Robinson column, News & Record, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005
Allen Johnson mention, News & Record, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005
Associated Press coverage, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005
WFMY coverage, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005
Related coverage, News & Record, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005
Related coverage, The Jamaica Observer, Nov. 5, 2005
News & Record coverage, Friday, Nov. 4, 2005
Associated Press coverage, Friday, Nov. 4, 2005
Related coverage, News & Record, Friday, Nov. 4, 2005
The Troublemaker blog coverage, Friday, Nov. 4, 2005
Seymour Hardy blog coverage, Friday, Nov. 4, 2005
WFDD coverage, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005
WXII12 coverage, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005
More Chewie World Order blog coverage, Nov. 3, 2005

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

Thanks to Community Dialogue Volunteers

2005-11-08T11:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of the individuals who volunteered their time at our Community Dialogue. The event couldn’t have happened without them.

General Volunteers

Megan Brooks
April Cannon
Lisa Cook
Sarah Dorsey
Steve Flynn
Jewel Gibson
Lamar Gibson
Roslyn Gibson
Alexandria Gray
Charles Jones
Lauren Jones
Brynne Kirk
Chelsea Marshall
Sarah Marshall
Eli Mungo
Kristi Parker
Dot Peters
Rebecca Rossiter
Kent Singletary
Todd Warren
Neubia Williams

Small Group Facilitators

Terry Austin
Jen Baker
Eliza Blake
Vicky Calise
Helen Dannatt
Frank Dukes
Chauncey Ford
Naman Hampton
Nancy Harman
Deborah Isenhour
Maria Jessop
Spoma Jovanovic
Mary Kendrick
Kay Lovelace
Amy Owens
Martine Powell
Kent Ruffin
Tony Scott
Carol Steger
Paula Thomas

Ubuntu Weekly #37

2005-11-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

Special Community Dialogue Edition!
- an update from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
No. 37 – Nov. 1, 2005Greetings,
This week, Greensboro marks the 26th anniversary of the Nov. 3, 1979, tragedy. We offer thanks to all community members taking part in our historic work of learning from what transpired in order to transform our city. There’s still time to join in by registering for this Saturday’s Community Dialogue.

Special thanks to the Greensboro Human Relations Commission for agreeing to play a role in our Community Dialogue, and to receive and use the information, ideas and recommendations it will generate.

Mount Zion Baptist Church, one of the largest in Greensboro, is easy to find. Here is a map. For those taking public transportation, the GTA’s No. 4 and No. 13 buses will take you there. Let us know if you’d like one of the free day passes our GTA has provided.

Since we’re asking people to devote all day to dialoguing, we’re springing for lunch. Reserve your space (and your meal) now. Participation is limited to 200 people.

We’ve once again hired Kimber Guard and Patrol, which will provide security, in cooperation with the Greensboro Police Department. Bags larger than a woman’s purse will not be allowed into the event.

Volunteers of the Week: We’re expecting a productive Dialogue largely because of the expertise of the 24 facilitators who have agreed to help guide our large- and small-group discussion. Thanks, facilitators!

This week’s progress indicator: So far, 109 people have signed up for the Dialogue.

Our upcoming events:

(THIS WEEK!) GTRC Community Dialogue, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1301 Alamance Church Road. Registration requested, email phyllis@greensborotrc.org or call 275-6462.

Related upcoming events:

(THIS WEEK!)

Free public lecture by Episcopal theologian and author Michael Battle, “The Church Enslaved: A Spirituality of Racial Reconciliation," 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, New Garden Friends Meeting. (Sponsored by Guilford College.)

Informal Commemorative Gathering, 11:23 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, Maplewood Cemetery, followed by lunch at the Beloved Community Center, 617 Arlington St., 230-0001. (Sponsored by Nov. 3 survivors and the Beloved Community Center.)

Spiritual Reflection/Community Discussion Potluck, 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, Beloved Community Center, 617 Arlington St., 230-0001. (Sponsored by Nov. 3 survivors and the Beloved Community Center.)

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, War Memorial Auditorium, part of Guilford College’s Bryan Series on “Spirit and Spirituality.” (SOLD OUT)

Healing Ceremony, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, for those connected with the 1979 tragedy and for all others affected by it, led by Lenore Norrgard, Circle of the Living Earth, and Myron Eshowsky, Windsor Community Center, 1601 E. Lee St. For information, 379-7342 or signewaller@earthlink.net. (Sponsored by Nov. 3 survivors and the Beloved Community Center.)

Latest news coverage:

Mother Jones Magazine coverage, November/December 2005
The Editor’s Log blog coverage, Oct. 29, 2005
Chewie World Order blog coverage, Oct. 28, 2005
More Chewie World Order blog coverage, Nov. 1, 2005
Greensboro Troublemaker blog coverage, Oct. 28, 2005
Ed Whitfield column, Carolina Peacemaker, Oct. 27, 2005
Ed Cone blog coverage, Oct. 24, 2005
More Ed Cone blog coverage, Oct. 20, 2005

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

First U.S. truth commission invites community to Dialogue Nov. 5

2005-10-31T11:50:00.000-05:00

(A GTRC news release)

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission invites all community members interested in the city’s future to participate in its Community Dialogue, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1301 Alamance Church Road.

The Dialogue is designed to engage community members in creating a collective vision for Greensboro’s future, and to provide more input into the Commission’s historic work of seeking truth and working for reconciliation around the tragedy of Nov. 3, 1979.

Goals of the event are
· to give the community a voice in the Commission’s final report recommendations;
· to help the community – including the Commission – better understand the issues surrounding the events of Nov. 3, 1979, and how they are connected to the present and future; and
· to lay a foundation for community bridge-building over time.

Participants will be divided into small groups led by skilled facilitators to

· share reactions to the Commission’s three public hearings, held between July and October (a video summary will be shown so participants need not have attended the hearings);
· identify issues from 1979 that still need to be addressed; and
· brainstorm ideas for how Greensboro institutions and individuals can approach these issues.

“Since this process is giving us a better understanding of one difficult event in the past, we’re in a better position to assess the surrounding issues and brainstorm ways we can begin coming together to build a stronger city in the future,” says Jill Williams, executive director of the Commission. “We’re pulling together everyone from senior citizens to teens – in all of our diversity – to tap into the wealth of creativity and experience that we know exists in our community.”

A total of 24 experienced facilitators, including three who speak Spanish, are volunteering their time and expertise to the Dialogue. One of the volunteers, Dr. Frank Dukes of the Institute for Environmental Negotiation at the University of Virginia, will provide a workshop for facilitators on Friday, Nov. 4.

The Greensboro Human Relations Commission (HRC) has agreed to accept and review the notes that will be taken, in hopes of better understanding the community and using them to help guide planning. HRC Vice Chair Wayne Abraham will give a welcome at the event, which is funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

Modeled on truth-seeking efforts in South Africa, Peru and elsewhere, the Commission is an independent and impartial body created through a grassroots nomination and selection process. It is mandated to objectively examine the context, causes, sequence and consequence of the
explosion of violence on Nov. 3, 1979, when Klan and Nazi members killed five labor organizers and wounded ten others at a rally organized by the Communist Workers Party.

The Commission is the first of its kind in the United States and hopes its work will become a model other communities can use as a means of dealing constructively with unresolved tragedies in their own histories.

At the Commission’s three public hearings, a total of 54 speakers made presentations relating to the topics, “What Brought Us to Nov. 3, 1979?,” “What Happened On and After Nov. 3, 1979?” and “What Does the Past Have to Do With the Present and the Future?”

The three hearings, the Dialogue and the final report will give voice to the community’s collective experience of the shootings and their aftermath. The report, to be completed in the spring of 2006, also will include specific recommendations for the Greensboro community and its institutions for concrete healing, reconciliation and restorative justice.

Space is available for up to 200 Dialogue participants. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Participants are encouraged to stay through the entire day and to register in advance. To register or for more information, contact Phyllis Carter, the Commission’s administrative specialist, at 275-6462 or phyllis@greensborotrc.org. Information about the Commission is available online at www.greensborotrc.org and www.gtrc.blogspot.com.
# # # # #

Rev. Cardes Brown's Statement Transcript

2005-10-26T17:44:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Rev. Cardes Brown's statement at the GTRC's second public hearing.

Born in Rocky Mount, Brown graduated from Greensboro Bible College with a Graduate of Theology degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree. He also received a Master of Divinity from Shaw Divinity School. He has been the pastor of New Light Baptist Church since 1975. In 1979, he was president of the Pulpit Forum, a group of area ministers concerned with community issues. At that time, New Light was located in the vicinity of Morningside, where the shootings occurred. Brown was involved in several groups organized after Nov. 3 to try to understand the violence and help the community toward reconciliation.

If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Rev. Nelson Johnson's Statement Transcript

2005-10-26T17:27:00.000-04:00

Please click here to read the transcript of Rev. Nelson Johnson's statement at the GTRC's second public hearing. The remarks Rev. Johnson prepared for the hearing (that include a great deal of information not covered in the hearing itself) can be found here.

Rev. Nelson Johnson was born in Littleton, N.C. on the family farm, and is currently the pastor of Faith Community Church. Prior to attending N.C. A&T, he spent four years in the Air Force. He has an extensive history as a visionary and community organizer for racial and economic justice both locally and nationally. Among other roles he serves as executive director of the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, as the national chair of Interfaith Worker Justice as a member of the National Policy Review Board for the labor union UNITE-HERE. Wounded on November 3, 1979, Johnson and his wife, Joyce, have two adult daughters and three granddaughters.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Lewis Brandon's Statement Transcript

2005-10-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Lewis Brandon's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Lewis Brandon is a graduate of N.C. A&T State University and was a student organizer in the 1960s. He is actively involved in the Congress of Racial Equality, Greensboro Association of Poor People (GAPP), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was a colleague and friend of Sandi Smith, whom he met when she was a student intern at GAPP.

If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Virginia Turner's Statement Transcript

2005-10-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Virginia Turner's statement at the GTRC's second public hearing.

Virginia Turner was raised in Greensboro and worked in White Oak Mill from 1979 to 1990. She remembers the unionizing efforts and conditions in the mills prior to and following November 3, 1979. She is currently working for the packing department at Pace Communications.

Thanks to Joya Wesley, GTRC Communications Director, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Candy Clapp's Statement Transcript

2005-10-20T21:09:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Candy Clapp's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Candy Clapp is a former resident of Morningside Homes; she was sixteen years old on November 3, 1979, and lived on Jennifer Street. She is currently raising her daughter, who is a senior at Dudley High School.

Thanks to Joya Wesley, GTRC Communications Director, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Judge James Long's Statement Transcript

2005-10-20T21:04:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Judge James Long's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Judge James Long graduated from UNC-CH as a Morehead Scholar in 1959 and is also a graduate of UNC-CH School of Law (1963). He also served as a Caswell County Recorders Court Judge from 1964-1970 and a Superior Court Judge in District 17B from 1970-1994. Judge Long was the presiding judge in the state murder trial of the Klan-Nazi defendants in 1980. He has been a professional mediator and arbitrator since 1994.

Thanks to Joya Wesley, GTRC Communications Director, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Mab Segrest's Statement Transcript

2005-10-20T12:59:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Mab Segrest's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Mab Segrest is the Fuller-Maathai professor and Department Chair of Gender and Women's Studies at Connecticut College. She was Executive Director of North Carolinians against Religious and Racist Violence, a group that monitored hate crimes in North Carolina during the 1980s.

Thanks to Sarah Marshall, an adjunct member of the GTRC staff, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ramon Bell's Statement Transcript

2005-10-20T12:54:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Ramon Bell's statement at the GTRC's second public hearing.

Ramon Bell is a retired member for the Greensboro Police Department and was added to the speakers list for the hearing after he approached staff members saying he could answer Commissioners' questions about police knowledge and operation plans on November 3, 1979, not answered by other speakers.

Thanks to Paula Thomas, an adjunct staff member for the GTRC, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

"New" Information

2005-10-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

In a recent conversation, John Robinson (editor of the News and Record) and I discussed new information, its importance, and how its newness is determined. JR helped me to understand some of the questions a newspaper editor/reporter asks to discern whether information is new or old: Has it ever been stated in a public forum? Has the newspaper reported it before? If so, do the readers remember that it was reported? That made sense and I appreciated the time he took to help me understand that discernment process.

The conversation and the article that initiated it, has made me think about how I differentiate between new and old information and whether such a distinction is important in the TRC process. Like John said, the distinction must have something to do with the intended audience. Last week, we observed a national holiday because Columbus "discovered" America; but we all know that it was only a discovery for some of the people on the east side of the Atlantic and not at all for the people already living here. This community isn't separated by an ocean, but with the widely divergent understandings that exist here surrounding November 3, 1979, it sometimes feels like it is.

While there may be a few details that the Commission will uncover in its research that are not widely known, the bigger task seems to be sorting through all of the facts, rumors, perspectives, and misinformation already floating around in this community about the context, causes, sequence, and consequence of November 3, 1979, and discerning between them. In our second public hearing, Captain Rick Ball encouraged the Commission to focus on "rumors, not facts" and, for the most part, I agree. As much as possible, the Commission will discern between rumors and facts surrounding this event. But rumors only survive because they make sense to people, so the fact that such different misinformation about these events has persisted in separate parts of our community is, in itself, information that can help us to understand our community better.

I've concluded, for now, that there is more than enough information already floating around about the violence on November 3 and, while I recognize and appreciate that a daily newspaper like the News and Record must be focused on finding and publishing new information, such a task isn't necessarily one of the priorities of the TRC. Our primary goal is to create, through public hearings and research, a collective memory of the context, causes, sequence and consequences of November 3, 1979, which will provide a common foundation from which the community can grow together.

And this is where the News and Record's goals and those of the GTRC coincide, I think. Because the GTRC hopes to continue engaging more people in this process, we need to have some place where we can direct newcomers to this conversation to get a basic understanding of what happened on November 3. Because the News and Record hopes to continue covering this TRC process, but doesn't have the space to rehash what is "old information" to most readers in every article, it also needs a place to direct newcomers.

In an effort to address these needs, JR and staff have designated the TRC's work as a "special project" and have collected some (though not all) of their news coverage of the hearings in one place. In particular, they have created a permanent link to Lorraine Ahearn's 1999 article that summarizes a great deal of information about that day in one place.

Thanks to Lorraine Ahearn for conducting the research and writing this article. And thanks to John Robinson for deciding to make all of the information accessible in one place as well as helping me to come to a better understanding of the role of new information in this process.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Winston Cavin's Statement Transcript

2005-10-19T12:17:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Winston Cavin's statement at the GTRC's second public hearing.
A Durham native, Winston Cavin was a 26-year-old reporter for the Greensboro Daily News (now the News & Record) on November 3, 1979. He was given the “Death to the Klan” assignment a couple of days in advance and covered a CWP press conference to learn more about the event in preparation.

Thanks to Caitlin McSwain-Surely, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Floris Weston's Statement Transcript

2005-10-19T10:47:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download a transcript of Floris Weston's statement at the GTRC's second public hearing.

Floris Caton Cauce Weston was born in Panama City, Panama, and immigrated to the United States in 1958 with her parents and siblings. As a student at George Washington University, she joined the February First Movement, a group of students named after the historic date of the first Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins. She met Cesar Cauce while both were helping to organize a 1977 African Liberation Day demonstration. They married in June 1979 and were newlyweds at the time of Cesar’s death.

Thanks to Kristi Parker, GTRC volunteer, for transcribing this statement.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Captain Rick Ball and Sargeant Mike Toomes's Statement Transcript

2005-10-19T10:05:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Captain Rick Ball and Sargeant Mike Toomes's statement at the GTRC's second public hearing.

Captain Rick Ball is the head of the Vice Narcotics Division of the Greensboro Police Department. He has been a member of the GPD since 1976 and was on the scene after the shootings on November 3, 1979. Sargeant Mike Toomes was one of the first four officers on the scene of the November 3, 1979, shootings.

Thanks to Paula Thomas, GTRC adjunct staff, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #35

2005-10-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

an update from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
No. 35 – Oct. 17, 2005
Greetings,

First this week, thanks to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro for a $3,000 grant, which will help pay for the Community Dialogue for which staff, interns and volunteers are working hard to prepare.

We’ve issued a call for experienced volunteers to facilitate the Community Dialogue’s small-group discussions. Thanks to those who already have answered our call, including Frank Dukes of the Institute for Environmental Negotiation, our fellow Andrus Family Fund grantee, who will train volunteers. If you can help or know someone who can (especially people of color), e-mail jill@greensborotrc.org.

While we continue to need volunteer help, we also have a need right now for a temporary, part-time staff research assistant. See our ad this week in the printed Carolina Peacemaker or visit the blog.

Volunteer of the Week: Commissioner Cynthia Brown, who counts excellent facilitation skills among her multiple talents, has provided invaluable leadership as co-chair and primary spokeswoman for the Commission – all while juggling her work and other community service that includes helping to resettle Katrina evacuees. Thanks, Cynthia!

This week’s progress indicator: To date – thanks to many supportive individuals and foundations – our fundraising revenues total $404,155.13!

Our upcoming events:
GTRC Community Dialogue, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1301 Alamance Church Road. (Registration requested -- email phyllis@greensborotrc.org)

Related upcoming events:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, War Memorial Auditorium, part of Guilford College’s Bryan Series on “Spirit and Spirituality.” (SOLD OUT)

Latest news coverage:
Ed Whitfield column, Carolina Peacemaker, Oct. 13, 2005
WUNC (91.5 FM) news feature, Oct. 12, 2005
Matthew Shelton column, Yes! Weekly, Oct. 12, 2005

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

Joe Roy's Statement Transcript

2005-10-18T11:06:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Joe Roy's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Joe Roy is the chief investigator, and former director, of the Intelligence Project for the Southern Poverty Law Center; he worked with the SPLC for over 20 years. Roy has participated in most of the cases the SPLC has litigated against white supremacist groups and is one of the major strategists for the Center.

If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Joseph Gorrell Pierce's Statement Transcript

2005-10-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Joseph Gorrell Pierce's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Mr. Pierce is a lifelong resident of Forsyth County, works in the lumber business and has owned a small farm for years. In 1979, he was Grand Dragon of the Federated Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and was involved in the confrontation between the Klan and the Workers Viewpoint Organization in July of 1979.

Thanks to Riley Driver, a GTRC volunteer and summer intern, for transcribing this statement. If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Yonni Chapman's Statement Transcript

2005-10-16T19:23:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Yonni Chapman's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Currently a Ph.D. candidate at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in U.S. History, Yonni Chapman's dissertation topic is Black Freedom and the University of North Carolina. On November 3, 1979, he was one of the anti-Klan demonstrators and was a member of the Communist Workers’ Party. Since that time he has continued racial justice organizing in Chapel Hill and serves as the historian of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP.

If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Claude Barnes's Statement Transcript

2005-10-16T19:15:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Claude Barnes's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Claude Barnes is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and he received both his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Political Science from Clark Atlanta University. He was active in the Greensboro Association of Poor People and Students Organized for Black Unity. In 1969, the school board’s lack of recognition of his write-in candidacy for student body president at Dudley High School ultimately ignited a student revolt.

If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the first public hearing, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Signe Waller's Transcript

2005-10-15T14:57:00.000-04:00

Please click here to download the transcript of Signe Waller's statement at the GTRC's first public hearing.

Signe Waller is Jim Waller's widow, a survivor of the November 3 violence, vice-president and board member of the Greensboro Justice Fund. She is a current resident of Greensboro, N.C., and author of Love and Revolution: A Political Memoir (2002) that deals with the events surrounding November 3, 1979.

If you would like to volunteer to transcribe any of the statements from the public hearings, please email jill@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Community Foundation Awards Grant to GTRC

2005-10-14T16:12:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, which has awarded a grant of $3000 to the GTRC to cover part of the expenses for the upcoming Community Dialogue.

To date, our fundraising revenues are as follows:

Grassroots Donations (including benefit concert proceeds): $35,155.13
Andrus Family Fund: $185,000.00
JEHT Foundation: $150,000
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation: $30,000.00
Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro: $3,000.00
Fenwick Foundation: $1,000.00
Total: $404,155.13

These funds go to support all Commission expenses--personnel, public events (conversations, public hearings, community dialogue), office operations, public outreach, research, documentation, and final report production and distribution.

We are still in need of funds to support our final report production and distribution both in written and multimedia formats. You can support this part of our work by contributing financially through the paypal button on this site (not tax deductible) or by following the instructions here for mailing a check to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (tax deductible).

posted by: Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Remaining Burning Questions

2005-10-12T11:31:00.000-04:00

As the Commission finishes up its public hearings and nears the end of its research phase, Commissioners and staff are generating a list of "burning questions" we still need to research through individual statements and documentary research. We invite community members also to share their own remaining questions about the context, causes, sequence, and consequence of the events of November 3, 1979 here. Commissioners and staff will review any questions left in the comments here or emailed here and consider them for our research plan.

If you haven't attended the hearings or need reminders of what was said in them, go here to listen to sound files from all three hearings or look at the transcripts on this site for written documentation of many of the statements.

(Please note that this thread is for sharing questions and I will not be able to answer any research related questions here. Also know that, while the Commission is interested in hearing your questions, we can not guarantee that they will all be answered in the final report.)

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

GTRC Seeking Research Assistant

2005-10-11T18:34:00.000-04:00

The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission is seeking a temporary, part-time research assistant with experience in organizing research documents, database creation, summarizing/processing information, fact checking, and report writing/formatting. Self motivation, ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and commitment to the goals of the GTRC are essential.

For more information, look here.

Interested individuals should send resume and contact information for 3 references to emily@greensborotrc.org. Application review will begin on Thursday, October 20. No phone calls, please.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Ubuntu Weekly #34

2005-10-10T18:31:00.000-04:00

- an update from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
No. 34 – Oct. 11, 2005

With our Spring 2006 deadline looming, we’ve focused most of our attention on the Commission’s final product. We’re also still reaching out to make new community connections. Toward that end, staff learned much by participating last week in the Greensboro Housing Coalition’s bus tour and the ConvergeSouth blogging conference at N.C. A&T.

-Greensboro’s City Council primary is Tuesday, Oct. 11. Many candidates have expressed their opinions about the GTRC in a Yes! Weekly questionnaire and at the News and Record’s “Vote 2005” page.

-Transcribers still needed! We’re thankful to all who are helping us create transcripts of each of our 54 hearing statements. If you’ve got free time, you can be a part of history by listening to the audio files of our hearing online and creating transcripts.

-Volunteer of the Week: Kristi Parker, a recent UNCG graduate who’s volunteering as a part of our research team after providing invaluable help setting up and photo-documenting our last public hearing. Thanks, Kristi!

-This week’s progress indicator: So far, more than 50 people have signed up to be a part of our Community Dialogue on Nov. 5.

Our upcoming events:
GTRC Community Dialogue, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1301 Alamance Church Road. (Registration requested -- email phyllis@greensborotrc.org)

Related upcoming events:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, War Memorial Auditorium, part of Guilford College’s Bryan Series on “Spirit and Spirituality.” (SOLD OUT)

Latest news coverage:
News & Record letter, Oct. 10, 2005
Ed Cone column, News & Record, Oct. 9, 2005
John Robinson blog coverage, Oct. 9, 2005
Chewie World Order blog coverage, Oct. 9, 2005
Jon Caldwell Counterpoint, News & Record, Oct. 8, 2005
Richard Koritz Counterpoint, News & Record, Oct. 7, 2005
Related News & Record coverage, Oct. 6, 2005
Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Oct. 5, 2005
More Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Oct. 5, 2005
More Carolina Peacemaker coverage, Oct. 5, 2005
Yes! Weekly coverage, Oct. 4, 2005
Jordan Green column, Yes! Weekly, Oct. 4, 2005
News & Record editorial, Oct. 4, 2005
UNCG’s Carolinian coverage, Oct. 4, 2005
Chewie World Order blog coverage, Oct. 4, 2005
WFDD (88.5 FM) coverage, Oct. 3, 2005

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

Experienced Facilitators Needed

2005-10-10T17:13:00.000-04:00

The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission is currently planning a Community Dialogue for Saturday, November 5 from 9am-5pm at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1301 Alamance Church Road, Greensboro. This meeting will be an opportunity for as many as 200 community members to come together to discuss information shared in the GTRC’s public hearings, to identify issues related to the tragedy of November 3, 1979, that are still relevant in Greensboro today, and, finally, to brainstorm and prioritize ideas for how to address these issues. At the end of the day, participants will have contributed ideas that will be included in an appendix of the Commission’s final report (and considered by Commissioners for inclusion in the recommendations section of that report). Participants will also have an opportunity to connect with others who are interested in working on similar issues.

We need to find at least 20 skilled facilitators who can lead small group discussions throughout this event. A facilitator’s guide will be provided for all volunteer facilitators; this document will serve as an outline of each of the four major small group activities facilitators will be expected to lead—(1) icebreakers, (2) general reactions to public hearings information, (3) isolating issues still facing Greensboro, and (4) brainstorming and prioritizing recommendations.

Facilitators are invited to a training event (led by E. Franklin Dukes of the Institute for Environmental Negotiation at UVA) at 6:00pm on Friday, November 4th, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, where we will review the plans for the next day’s dialogue; dinner will be provided. Facilitators who can not make this meeting will still be given the facilitator’s guide before November 5th so that they can ask questions about anything that is unclear to them before the event. Facilitators will also be asked to arrive at the event location (Mt. Zion Baptist Church) by 8:15am on the morning of November 5th.

UPDATE: We are looking for a few facilitators who are fluent in both Spanish and English. (Please click here for a brochure in Spanish.)

Please email me if you are willing to serve as a volunteer facilitator for this event.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.

Community Dialogue

2005-10-10T17:06:00.000-04:00

All Greensboro community members are invited to register for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Community Dialogue. Here are the details:

Saturday, November 5, 2005
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
1301 Alamance Road

The goals of this event are:
· To give the community a voice in the Commission’s final report recommendations
· To help the community, including the Commission, to better understand the issues surrounding the events of Nov. 3, 1979, and how they are connected to our present and future.
· To lay a foundation for community bridge building over time.

Participants will be divided into small groups led by skilled facilitators to discuss the following topics:
· Reactions to the public hearings (a video summarizing the hearings will be shown during the event so it is not necessary that participants attended the hearings)
· Identifying issues from 1979 that still need to be addressed
· Brainstorming ideas for how Greensboro institutions and individuals can approach these issues

To register, please email or call the GTRC Office at 275-6462 or phyllis@greensborotrc.org.

If you are an experienced facilitator and would like to volunteer your time at this event, visit here for more information and email me.

If you would like to volunteer for other aspects of this event, please contact phyllis@greensborotrc.org.

posted by Jill Williams, exec. dir.