JONESTOWN SURVIVORS Plan to Revisit Guyana
JONESTOWN SURVIVORS Plan to Revisit Guyana
I am in the process of arranging a return trip for some of the survivors and family members back to Guyana. Many people just do not understand why some of us feel the need to go back. Nothing about surviving is clear cut. We have each developed our very own path to move forward. No two of us feel exactly alike. We don't have to. We each came into Peoples Temple in our own fashion – alone, with our families or our friends, as religious or political beings, at a crossroad, or many other ways of getting in the door. In Peoples Temple, our lives were varied too. Some had responsibilities closer to Jim or his family, some did not. Even in Jonestown, we had different jobs, new families, and different experiences. I tried to explain here why we want to go.
Twenty-two survivors and family members of former Peoples Temple members hope to return to Guyana. We represent the Peoples Temple family – all colors, all positions in Peoples Temple, some survivors who never visited Guyana, some family members who were never part of Peoples Temple, and some former members who lost their mothers, children, and other family members. We have many different reasons for wanting to return. One victim of the airstrip shooters really wants to re-visit Jonestown to see for himself that we did not destroy the beautiful rainforest where his son died. Another survivor who lost many relatives wants to return to Georgetown, to revisit where he started his new life. Some relatives who were not part of Peoples Temple want to go see where their loved ones last lived. We need anyone who accompanies us to understand that we will be fragile, and will need our personal time. We are coming because we see that it may bring some closure. As one of the authors in the group, it is essential to me to document this return trip. I have come to understand that there are many lessons to be learned from the lives and deaths in Guyana. I want the story to be told. I want it to be documented. I want the story out.