Press Releases:

August 25, 2005

Media Advisory: Greensboro Truth Commission to Hold Second Hearing this Friday and Saturday (Aug.26-27, 2005)

MEDIA ADVISORY

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

On Friday and Saturday of this week, August 26-27, 2005, the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC) will hold the second of three public hearings. The hearing will take place at North Carolina A&T State University, in the McNair Hall Auditorium, from 2-9 pm Friday, August 26, and 9 am-4 pm Saturday, August 27.

The Commission 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.

Speakers at the second hearing will focus on the question “What happened on, and after, November 3, 1979?” Five categories of speakers will address the hearing: police officers present at the scene of the events; members of the legal community involved in the criminal and civil cases dealing with the shootings; former residents of public housing units situated near where the events took place; survivors and the widow of one of those killed; and organizers of the November 3 gathering.

Seldom seen footage of the traumatic events, including the rally, will be featured in the hearing. It will be possible to view complete footage of the rally, shootings, and aftermath (45 min. in length) in stations outside the main hearing space.

Transcripts will be available by request immediately following the hearing. If you would like a transcript, or further information on the Commission, please contact GTRC Communications Director, Joya Wesley, at (336) 275-5953 or joya@greensborotrc.org.

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) has served as an adviser to the organizers of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission and currently provides technical assistance to the Commission and its staff, as it has in similar efforts worldwide. For further information or to schedule an interview with Lisa Magarrell, the Center’s lead adviser to the Commission, please contact Suzana Grego (contact information above).