Press Releases:

January 27, 2005

Greensboro Truth Commission Taking Statements

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Suzana Grego
Director of Communications
TEL +1 917 438 9331
E-MAIL sgrego@ictj.org

NEW YORK, January 27, 2005—Earlier this week, the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), located in Greensboro, North Carolina, announced the beginning of its statement taking process.

The TRC was established to examine the events of November 3, 1979, when members of the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party opened fire on a racially mixed gathering of political activists and labor organizers, killing five and wounding 10 others. The Commission was seated and its commissioners were sworn in on June 12, 2004.

The statement taking process is integral to the Commission's work in determining the causes and consequences of the November 3 events. It is now seeking statements from all individuals with any information related to the events of that day. In addition to statements, the TRC is also reviewing documents and other evidence with a view toward producing a final report setting out its findings and recommending possible paths toward reconciliation and healing.

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) has served as an adviser to the Commission organizers (the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project, GTCRP) and provides technical assistance to the Commission, as it has in similar efforts worldwide. For further information or to schedule an interview with Lisa Magarrell, the lead ICTJ adviser to the Commission, please contact me at 917.438.9331 or sgrego@ictj.org.

For additional information about the statement taking process, please refer to the Commission press release below and contact TRC Executive Director, Jill Williams.

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For Immediate Release

January 25, 2005

Contact:
Jill Williams
Executive Director
Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission
336-275-6462
jill@greensborotrc.org

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION BEGINS TAKING STATEMENTS

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission announced the official beginning of its statement taking process at a news conference today. Commission Co-Chairs Robert Peters and Cynthia Brown emphasized that the Commission is an independent body that will be relying upon individuals from all parts of Greensboro to come forward and share their stories.

The Commission is seeking statements from all individuals with information related, directly or indirectly, to the events of November 3, 1979. Anyone with such information or ideas has the following options for sharing this information with the Commission:

1. Visiting the Commission office (122 N. Elm St., Suite 810) any Tuesday from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. to talk with a Commission representative.

or

2. Calling the Commission office (336-275-6462) to set up an appointment with a Commission representative.

or

3. Sharing his or her contact information (name and preferred form of contact) with any Commissioner or staff member in person or online at info@greensborotrc.org. A Commission representative will then follow up with the individual regarding an appointment.

The seven-member Commission is the first of its kind in the United States and was appointed through a public nomination and selection process. The Commission is charged in its Mandate with objectively examining "the context, causes, sequence and consequence of the events of November 3, 1979," in which five people were killed and ten others wounded in the Morningside Homes neighborhood of Greensboro.

The Commissioners are Cynthia Brown, Pat Clark, Muktha Jost, Angela Lawrence, Robert Peters, Mark Sills, and Barbara Walker. For more information about participating in the process, contact Jill Williams at 336-275-6462 or e-mail jill@greensborotrc.org.