The Truth Will Set You Free

“But first it will make you miserable.” Typically, people know the first part of that quote, but rarely do they understand the meaning of the second. Recently, Working Films organized a summit that brought together grassroots activists, organizers, peace-builders and others who have been involved in truth and reconciliation efforts and racial justice around the film, Greensboro: Closer to the Truth. The summit, which was also attended by Greensboro filmmaker Adam Zucker, proved to be a ground-breaking discussion for people to talk about the many meanings behind the nature of what we do when we work on issues of racial and social justice. We talked about the nature of truth and how dominant institutions are often invested in a narrative that trivializes the need for racial dignity. We talked about the power of the people to reclaim their own democracies by setting up their own unofficial truth and reconciliation projects. We talked about the differences between truth and reconciliation when it comes to events of racial violence, and how standing up to racism often doesn’t start with a commission and definitely doesn’t end with a report; they are part of a process that continues every day. But most of all we talked about who we need to get “Greensboro” closer to, because none of us have gotten to the truth yet, and the sooner we get there…the freer we’ll be.