This last May, a new memorial dedicated to those lives lost in Jonestown finally became a tangible reality. Four large markers displaying the names of those lost in Guyana now\u00a0lay in the ground of Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California at the site of the mass-grave where over 400 victims of the Jonestown massacre are buried. The long-overdue memorial was finally made possible through the generous financial contributions of friends, family, and sympathetic citizens who wanted to see this project finally come to fruition. The result is a beautiful and fitting monument to the lives lost on November 18, 1978.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, the effort to erect the monument was met with resistance by individuals who viewed the project as disrespectful to the memories of the deceased. Claiming that the inclusion of Jim Jones\u2019 name on the\u00a0memorial was tantamount to putting Adolf Hitler\u2019s name on a holocaust memorial, certain parties sought legal injunctions to stop the project from moving forward. Those efforts failed, and despite threats of a disruptive physical presence at the dedication ceremony, plans for an official unveiling moved confidently forward. Fortunately for all who attended, the threats were never followed through with, and the ceremony proceeded unimpeded.<\/p>\n
As to what I observed that day, I can only say that what I saw\u2026.what I felt\u2026.what I know, is that truth, love, and compassion reigned over all those who attended the dedication ceremony. Anger, hate, and divisiveness were banished at the gate. What I saw was the convergence of hearts and minds \u2013 many became one. I could not ignore the overwhelming presence of a healing spirit that surrounded each and every person\u00a0who had longed to see this memorial\u00a0come to be. It was hard not to be personally moved by the tears, smiles, laughter, and sometimes solemn silence that danced among the small groups as they mingled with friends and loved ones. It truly was a beautiful thing.<\/p>\n
I remain steadfast in my personal belief that the monument erected in Evergreen Cemetery is completely appropriate, proper, and fitting. It provides a place for friends and family of the deceased to come and experience healing and, perhaps, closure. For the rest of us, the memorial should serve as a concrete reminder to focusnot<\/em> on the shock and intrigue of the so-called \u201cCult of Peoples Temple.\u201d Rather let it be a shining beacon directing us to remember the people \u2013 and the humanity \u2013 lost in Jonestown.<\/p>\n (Josef Dieckman is a regular contributor to<\/em> the jonestown report. His previous writings are <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>. He can be reached at <\/em>josefdieckman@yahoo.com<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This last May, a new memorial dedicated to those lives lost in Jonestown finally became a tangible reality. Four large markers displaying the names of those lost in Guyana now\u00a0lay in the ground of Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California at the site of the mass-grave where over 400 victims of the Jonestown massacre are buried. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":29507,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-29281","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29281"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93167,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29281\/revisions\/93167"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}