By: Cameron Cassar
“Inequality was woven into our country’s DNA.”, said Shelly Marc, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Her words opened the webinar on Truth-Telling and Transformation, an event convened during #TruthWeek by MHCR along with Rep. Barbara Lee’s office, #BreatheWithMe, +Peace, and the John Michell Jr. Program. The goal of #TruthWeek was to raise awareness and build a movement behind Barbara Lee’s bill H.Con.Res.100 which would establish a US Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. As of now (Sept. 23, 2020) the resolution has gained 163 co-signatories in the Congress. #TruthWeek was part of a larger effort to promote this important bill which could lead to much needed transformation in our country and MHCR was glad to play a role in convening leading international experts to share best practices in reconciliation process design and implementation. The purpose of this exchange was to hear from individuals who had contributed to the complex process of planning reconciliation processes in South Africa, Canada, and South America, learning from the challenges that they endured and bringing their lessons learned to this critical moment in the United States.
The speakers at the Truth-Telling and Transformation event included the aforementioned Shelly Marc, Dr. Paul Zeitz with the #BreathewithMe Revolution, Rev. Mpho Tutu, a scholar on forgiveness and daughter of Desmond Tutu, former chairman of the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Dr. Fanie du Toit who is the former Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Africa, Marie Wilson who served as the Commissioner to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada, Eduardo Gonzalez an MHCR Research Affiliate and expert on transitional justice in Latin America and indigenous reconciliation processes together with Dr. Charles Chavis, the Founding Director of the John Mitchell, Jr. Program at the Carter School and Vice-Chair for Maryland Lynching Commission. The panel was moderated by MHCR’s Director, Antti Pentikäinen who drew out the experience of each speaker, relating their expertise to current challenges faced in the US and what needs to be done in setting up a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Commission. as Eduardo said during his speech, “It’s not always about the final result, it's about the process...truth commissions are part of a more comprehensive struggle for rights.”
Reverend Mpho Tutu brought incredible insight to the panel, sharing that in order for a commission to foster a healing process, victims of injustices must be willing to tell their stories, and perpetrators in these actions must be willing to listen to the victims in order to understand their perspective and learn from their experiences. This is the hard part of truth commissions and which “is not just technical work, it is also emotional and spiritual work,” she elaborated by stating. The only way that we will be able to move forward as a country is to accept the wrong-doings of our past, listen to the victims of our dark history, and lastly, trust the process. Mpho Tutu also called for both spiritual and psychosocial support for those who will lead the commission.
In the words of Dr. Paul Zeitz, “We are working to bring together the divided America into a healed America.” The lessons learned from the speakers at this webinar can go a long way in moving our country beyond our dark history that is still felt in insidious ways to this day. Whether that be through the criminal justice system which disproportionately affects black and brown people, the education system which hinders black and brown people from reaching their full potential, or the economic system which has left many POC behind compared to their white counterparts. The United States was built on the basis of white supremacy, and the first step in bringing healing and transformation to our country is to accept that we have many deep issues to address.
Truth, racial healing, and national transformation is not a fast process. Many countries that started truth commissions years ago are still in the difficult process of healing. #TruthWeek served as the flashpoint for a movement that will be much bigger than any one individual or organization. As a relatively new center, MHCR was honored to be invited to organize such a foundational event in support of Representative Barbara Lee’s work and other efforts to develop a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Commission that addresses the legacy of racial injustice within the United States. MHCR aims, together with other Centers and Programs at the Carter School, to support local TRHT initiatives and commissions by assisting in the incubation and collection of evidence and developing joint learning platforms.
To see the full webinar on Facebook click here
