Press Releases:

June 29, 2006

Media Advisory: Truth Commissioners and Activists Reflect on Addressing the Past in the U.S.

CONTACT
Suzana Grego
ICTJ Director of Communications
Tel +1-917-703-1106
sgrego@ictj.org

Greensboro, North Carolina:
International Truth Commission Representatives and U.S. Community Activists to Share Reflections and Explore Truth-seeking Options for the U.S.

WHAT:

International representatives from four different truth-seeking experiences-Northern Ireland, Peru, South Africa, and Sri Lanka-will assemble in Greensboro, North Carolina for three days of reflection, discussion, and assessment with commissioners and staff from the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC), Greensboro community activists, and key representatives of other truth-seeking efforts in the U.S. Through a series of roundtable conversations, the gathering will serve to integrate reflections around the Greensboro process with lessons gained from truth-seeking efforts around the world in order to explore avenues for similar initiatives in the U.S. The final day of the gathering will bring together a broader audience to celebrate the Commission's efforts and publicly address the potential for truth-seeking in a wide range of contexts throughout the country.

The conference, "International and Local Lessons in Truth-Seeking," is being co-hosted by the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro (BCC) and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ). The event is one of a series of gatherings coordinated by the ICTJ's Managing Truth Commissions Affinity Group, which has held similar periodic meetings in several international settings where truth-seeking mechanisms were underway or being explored. The ICTJ was a principal advisor to the GTRC.

BACKGROUND:

Following two years of intensive work, the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC) released its final report on May 25, 2006 at a public ceremony in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Commission-a grassroots, democratic initiative and the first of its kind in the U.S.-was staffed by seven volunteer commissioners and paid Commission staff who took scores of statements, reviewed massive amounts of evidence and documents, and held three major public hearings, all in an effort to examine the context, causes, and consequences of the events of November 3, 1979.

On that day, members of the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party opened fire on a racially mixed gathering of political activists and labor organizers, killing five and wounding ten others at a "Death to the Klan" rally organized in a public housing community by the Communist Workers Party (CWP). Klan and Nazi Party defendants were acquitted of murder and civil rights violations in both state and federal criminal trials. A civil trial found that the Klansmen, Nazis, and two members of the police department were jointly liable for one wrongful death.

The nearly 600-page report is a comprehensive, detailed, and well-documented account of the Commission's findings, analyses of contextual and thematic issues, and recommendations for the future. The executive summary and full report are available on the Commission's website, the ICTJ's website, and on CD-Rom at all branches of the Greensboro Public Library and other public venues in Greensboro.

WHO, WHEN & WHERE:

Thursday July 6, 2006
Roundtable Discussions on Case Studies: Greensboro, Northern Ireland, Peru, South Africa, and Sri Lanka (Bennett College Campus)
By Invitation Only

• 9:00-12:30
The GTRC: Challenges, Lessons, and Opportunities for Change
• 2:00-3:45
Comparative Experiences of Northern Ireland, Peru, South Africa, and Sri Lanka: Relevant Lessons for the U.S.
• 4:00-5:45
Race Riot Commissions and other Efforts to Deal with Past Violence: Truth-seeking and the U.S.
• 5:45: Press Briefing Session

Friday July 7, 2006
Thematic Roundtable Discussions on Truth-seeking (Bennett College Campus)
By Invitation Only

• 9:30-11:00
The Implications and Scope of Truth-seeking: Local, National, and International Contexts
• 11:30-1:00
The Goals of Justice: Truth-seeking and Democracy, Citizenship, Identity, and Economic Justice
• 2:30-4:00
Truth-seeking, Temporal Limits, and Remedies for Harm: How to Effectively Address Past Abuses
• 4:00: Press Briefing Session

Saturday July 8, 2006
Public Conference and Celebration (North Carolina A&T State University Campus, Alumni Foundation Event Center)
Free and Open to the Public

• 9:00-1:00
Panel Discussion: Truth Commission Experiences Around the World and U.S. Initiatives. (Facilitated by Dr. Vincent G. Harding).
• 1:00-4:00
Celebration in Honor of the GTRC and Completion of its Final Report.

Media Contacts:

To inquire about setting up specific interviews or for general information, contact:
• Demetria Ledbetter, Beloved Community Center: demetrial@belovedcommunitycenter.org or (336) 230-0001

For all other information or to arrange interviews with ICTJ staff, please contact: Suzana Grego, ICTJ Director of Communications, at +1 (917) 703-1106 or sgrego@ictj.org, or Kasia Reterska, ICTJ Press Officer, at +1 (917) 723-2577 or kreterska@ictj.org.