Truth and Reconciliation

Truth and Reconciliation Commission must come after COVID-19 and Trump

Terri E. Givens

The hits keep coming during the COVID-19 crisis — the Supreme Court ruling that the Wisconsin primary must go forward despite the fact that it potentially puts voters’ health and well-being in danger. African Americans in places like Milwaukee and Los Angeles dying at a disproportionate rate from complications of the coronavirus. And of course, ongoing corruption in the White House. By the end of his third year in office, President Trump had told more than 16,200 “false or misleading claims,” according to the Washington Post, but now those lies have deadly consequences.

I have been working on a book that focuses on the role of radical empathy in helping to bridge the divides in this country. As we have entered this crisis, it has become clear to me that we need empathy now more than ever. I focus on the idea of radical empathy, because it is more than just putting yourself in someone else’s shoes so you can understand life from their perspective. It involves taking positive action and focusing on how to make all of our lives better.

We are living in a difficult time, and unfortunately, our political system has come under the sway of the type of corruption that is breathtaking in its breadth and depth. If and when we return to a politics that is of, by and for the people, we will need to account for the lies and crimes that have taken place during this period, particularly given the horrific death toll that is still to come. How will we be able to understand and move forward from this time as a country?

I believe that we will need to take the kind of approach we have seen in South Africa. In the words of the preamble to South Africa’s constitution:

We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.

Tears came to my eyes when I read these words during a visit to Johannesburg in November of 2016. This was the most impactful of all the sights we saw in the city, up on Constitution Hill. I was reminded of that tumultuous time in the country’s history in the 1980s — the riots in Soweto, the oppression by the white supremacist government and the struggle for freedom that culminated in Nelson Mandela being freed from prison and eventually becoming president.

The idea of being united in diversity reminded me of our own motto, E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one), which has been on the Great Seal of the United States since 1782. Although it references the federal system in our country, it also has meaning in terms of the variety of backgrounds that make up the great quilt of this country. Our diversity makes us strong, but the focus on our divisions make us weaker, and that has become even more clear as we have a leader of this country who builds his support through division.

It is important to keep in mind the careful approach to the post-Apartheid situation pursued by leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. As many scholars have noted South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission is seen as the gold standard for a way that a harshly divided society could work through its violent past. This effort has inspired similar efforts around the world, even here in the U.S. on a small scale.

These processes take a great deal of time, and we know that in South Africa the results have been far from perfect. Even during my visit, it was clear that much of the black population had been left behind. There were shanty towns visible throughout the areas we traveled, and even Soweto was still struggling in many ways.

However, we will need a strong reckoning to deal with the fallout of a government whose actions have led to the loss of so many lives. First, it will be important for politicians across the country and across the political spectrum to ensure that we have free and fair election in the Fall. Then, whenever the Trump era ends, it will be incumbent on those of us who are fighting for our democracy to ensure that we document and come to terms with the divisions in this country, particularly the racism and white supremacy that have been a driving force in politics since before this country’s founding. We will not be able to make amends to those who have lost their lives, but we owe it to them to make the effort to heal the wounds.