The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission held three public hearings between July and October last year to look at what happened at the November 3, 1979, Greensboro Massacre, when American Nazi and Klan members killed five labor organizers and wounded 10 others. The commission, the first of its kind in the United States, is modeled on a truth-seeking forum first used in 1995 by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As part of his testimony, Greensboro Klan leader Virgil Griffin said, “Maybe God guided the bullets….” Pastor Zee Holler responded to Griffin’s testimony by saying, “He’s a tough nut, but I would be glad to have the chance to sit with him and say, ‘Now brother, what’s your story?’” The commission’s report, to be completed in 2006, will include recommendations for healing, reconciliation, and restorative justice for the Greensboro community.
—Deanna Wylie Mayer
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