INTRODUCTION

Over the last 35 years approximately forty truth commissions have investigated human rights violations and abuses in a wide range of countries and communities. They were established by those in a society who believed that finding the truth through an examination of the past was important to build social and political trust. Their goals have generally been to uncover the truth and report findings and recommendations in order to strengthen or transition into democracy, reduce conflict and create a basis for long term reconciliation; bring about some form of transitional or restorative justice; and begin the process of change needed to avoid similar human rights violations in the future. Each of these forty commissions provides different lessons on how investigating and testifying about past abuse can lead to healing and change.

I have participated in two of the more remarkable Truth and Reconciliation processes, the first as an observer, the other as an advisor. The former is perhaps the most widely known and discussed TRC process, the one which took place in South Africa from 1996 to 1998 that examined the entire apartheid era in that country. The other was the first TRC process in the United States that took place in Greensboro, North Carolina from 2004 to 2006. It was a much narrower and less publicized process that looked at one incident in that City's past in order to help bridge the class and racial divides existing there. In addition to my own observations, I also had the opportunity to interview some of the staff and witnesses involved in these processes. As a result, I was able to review and analyze such factors as how these two Truth Commissions were constructed, how their mandates were developed, what their fact finding processes did and did not include, and what was the overall impact of their final reports including the implementation of their recommendations.