Several African Americans have expressed a desire and availability to talk to the public about their experiences in Peoples Temple from the Black perspective. Their willingness to speak presents a unique opportunity to hear voices which have generally been excluded from the dialogue about Peoples Temple and Jonestown. Please consider the following two individuals when looking for articulate analyses of Peoples Temple.
Yulanda Williams lived in Jonestown for three months in 1977, before leaving Peoples Temple. Her father was a minister and she herself held offices within the church. She can be reached at yopopo@mindspring.com. Ms. Williams has spoken at conferences on fraud, high tech crimes, and cults.
Lezle Fortier escaped from Jonestown with nine others on the morning of 18 November 1978. She grew up in Peoples Temple from the age of 12 on, and so has a special perspective on life in the organization. She can be contacted at TCLESCAT@aol.com and would like to talk about her experiences as a member of an inter-racial family in Jonestown.