Plenary I: A Story of Interracial Reconciliation

By David Trimble

Linda Biehl, Ntobeko Peni, and Easy Nofomela, introduced by South African writer Sindiwe Magona, shared the stories of their interweaving lives following the violent death of Amy (Linda and Peter Biehl's daughter) at the hands of Nofomela, Peni, and their comrades in Guguletu Township following a rally of the Pan African Congress. The Biehls chose to forgive their daughter’s killers, endorsing amnesty for them before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Some time later, Peni and Nofomela approached the Biehls for support in their own efforts to serve the youth of Guguletu. This began a process of collaboration and friendship which continues to evolve, as Nofomela and Peni work for the Amy Biehl Foundation in South Africa, founded and led by Linda and her late husband Peter, who died a few months before the Conference.

A multitude of experiences unfolded among the audience as we listened to the stories. Many strained to understand words delivered in unfamiliar Xhosa-accented English. Deep emotions stirred and powerful questions emerged as we witnessed the bewildering complexity and simplicity of the human events before us. We got some flavor of the complexity of South African politics before and after the end of Apartheid, and of the controversy over the scope and limits of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We heard a mother honor her daughter without idealizing her, and saw how the daughter led her parents into activism for human rights in South Africa. The theme of youth leading their elders was elaborated by the testimony of Peni and Nofomela, still "youth" (i.e., under the age of 35) by South African standards, who described their intentions, beliefs, and motivations as leaders of the youth struggle which was so instrumental in the final downfall of Apartheid. We heard how Nofomeli and Peni, incarcerated with their Pan-African Congress comrades, resisted the African National Congress' Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and how they were stunned and disarmed by media reports of the Biehls’ choice to forgive them, an event which Peni described as changing his life.

As we struggled to make our own sense of the story's political and personal complexities, we were struck by the simple reality of love among these three people. We witnessed firsthand through testimony, movement of reconciliation to action. Across all their differences, and in the face of their very different pains over the death of Amy Biehl, they have become family for each other and joined forces to further combat disenfranchisement and poverty. Each of us in the audience was challenged to find a way to make sense of how this simple truth of human love, partnership and family emerged from such circumstances.

As Discussants, Charlee and David took responsibility for setting a tone of respectful dialogue between audience and panelists. We needed to facilitate respectful dialogue between panelists and AFTA members in a process which honored the particular voices of the Linda Biehl, Easy Nofomela, and Ntobeko Peni, none of them family therapists nor professionals. David's vigilance about the colonial implications of Linda Biehl becoming "grandmother" to Black South Africans was disarmed when she showed her mindfulness of the limitations and advantages of social action as a White American in a South American Township. Pene and Nofomela spoke of the limitations of their dreams and advantages not available or within their reach as Black South Africans. There was ownership of the powerlessness, poverty, and cultural dissolution that still embody South Africa, which generated the determination of this newly formed family to continue a vision. It is a vision of the youth, Amy, Easy, and Ntobeko, to create opportunity, to have dreams that are possible, and to end the cycle of poverty in the townships.

We committed ourselves as Discussants to offer reflections grounded in our human experience, in voices balancing heart, mind and spirit, following the example set by the panelists. Linda Biehl’s love, pride, and respect for Easy Nofomela and Ntobeko Peni were abundantly manifest as she spoke of witnessing their personal development in the context of their life circumstances. The respect, love, and pride they equally manifest for Linda Biehl permeated the room. It was clear that they were determined that their voices be heard and respected. Almost without exception, members of the audience joined the dialogue in the same spirit, honoring the guests who had brought to us such a transformational experience of reconciliation.

CharlesEtta Sutton is the training director for the Office of Prevention Services at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - University Behavioral Healthcare in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is a founding faculty of the Multicultural Family Institute of New Jersey in Highland Park.

David Trimble teaches family therapy at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston Medical Center. He is a founding Director and former President of the Network for Multicultural Training in Psychology.