Long Night’s Journey into Day

For over forty years, South Africa was governed by the most notorious form of racial domination since Nazi Germany. When it finally collapsed, those who had enforced apartheid’s rule wanted amnesty for their crimes. Their victims wanted justice. As a compromise, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed. As it investigated the crimes of apartheid, the Commission brought together victims and perpetrators to relive South Africa’s brutal history. By revealing the past instead of burying it, the TRC hoped to pave the way to a peaceful future.

The Truth and Reconciliation hearings were the genesis of the current movement to use a restorative approach to conflict resolution. This film illustrates a nation’s efforts to move from vengeance and retribution to understanding and forgiveness. Today, restorative justice practices are being used in American criminal justice and school systems to break the School to Prison Pipeline and promote social equity.

Following the film, there will be a panel discussion about how restorative justice processes are being implemented to move us to a more equitable and just society. The panel will include: LaMar Spotted Elk, Student Support Specialist, Salt Lake City School District, Erika George, University of Utah Law Professor, Roy Parker, Summit County Recovery Foundation, and Gretchen Lee, Mountain Mediation Center. Lynn Ware Peek, Host of KPCW’s The Mountain Life, will moderate.

Panelist Bios:

Professor Erika George earned a B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She also holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago. Professor George has worked with Human Rights Watch on investigations in South Africa on women’s rights, children’s rights, violence, the right to education, and abuses related to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Professor George has also testified before international human rights treaty bodies and foreign governments, and she has briefed the international media on international human rights law, racial discrimination, and gender violence. Professor George teaches Constitutional Law, International Human Rights Law, International Environmental Law, and Civil Procedure at the University of Utah’s College of Law.

Presented in partnership with Mountain Mediation Center and supported by grant funding received from Park City Community Foundation.

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