Letter from the GTCRP Local Task Force Co-Chairs

by Carolyn Allen, Rev. Dr. Gregory T. Headen, Kyle Lambelet and Z. Holler

Oct. 19, 2007

Dear Friend,

Over six years ago, in January of 2001, a cross section of thirty-two Greensboro community leaders signed the Declaration of Intent of the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project stating their intention to, “to lead Greensboro into becoming a more just, understanding and compassionate community” by examining the events of Nov. 3rd, 1979. The declaration goes on to say:

“We believe that by helping to clear up lingering confusion, division and ill feelings and by promoting reconciliation among individuals, sectors and institutions within our community, the project will transcend the hurtful legacy of events of November 3, 1979… By working together with others to creatively engage in the truth of our past, we will not only be acting in our city’s best interest, but we will also be reflecting new depths of community values and modeling new vistas of democracy for our nation. Therefore, we…commit ourselves to work diligently and honestly with the people and institutions of Greensboro and…to carry out this project with integrity, promoting truth, understanding and reconciliation.”
(to read the full Declaration of Intent visit www.gtcrp.org/declaration.asp)

Carrying out this task, the independent Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed by a democratic selection process and began its work in June of 2004. The Commission released a Final Report in May of 2006 examining the, “context, causes, sequence and consequence of the events of November 3, 1979.” Since the report release, discussions about the contents of the Final Report’s conclusions and recommendations have taken place across Greensboro and the nation.

Local Task Force members and GTRC Staff and Commissioners have been invited to speak to groups across the United States: New Orleans, Louisiana; Anniston, Alabama, Brown University; Northwestern University in Chicago; and Union Theological Seminary in New York City, to name a few. And in November a delegation of over twenty will travel to South Africa to deepen the dialogue and connection with our sisters and brothers there. The impact of the Truth and Reconciliation process reaches far beyond Greensboro.

Having spent over a year considering the findings of the GTRC Final Report, we have noted many significant and particular changes in the way that the Greensboro community operates which seem to us direct results of this ongoing work. While we celebrate these shifts, we also note that there is much work yet to do.

We are now moving into a new phase of the Truth and Reconciliation Process. In this phase we see using the truth of the Final Report as a guide for a wider and deeper reconciliation in our community, revealing the Report’s relevance not just to ‘79, but to today’s issues. To this end, the Local Task Force of the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project and the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro now turn to a fuller consideration of possible strategies for the implementation of the Final Report’s recommendations. We hope you will join us for the first in a series of meetings to develop these strategies:

GTCRP STRATEGY MEETING
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
11:00am - 3:00pm
Genesis Baptist Church
2812 E. Bessemer Ave., Greensboro, NC 27405

At this important gathering, we will thoughtfully consider and prioritize the recommendations in Chapter 14 of the GTRC Final Report (it can be accessed at www.greensborotrc.org/overall_recs.pdf) as well as begin planning how we as a community can organize toward implementing these recommendations or others that may grow out of our strategy meeting. We hope you will join us.

With hope for truth and reconciliation,

Carolyn Allen, Rev. Gregory Headen, and Rev. Z. Holler

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