A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

that rich information about the diaspora experience was being left out. This necessitated
adjustment to the substantive questions asked during interviews. Extensive background
interviews and group interviews also helped fill in the gap. This data collection focused on
examining diaspora community dynamics and the interaction of Liberians in the diaspora with
systems and communities where they had settled. This information, which proved important
in conceptualizing recommendations for reconciliation within the diaspora itself, was not
captured through the initial statement taking process.
2. Multiple logistical models for statement taking were required to meet the varying
needs of Liberian communities in the diaspora. The Advocates adopted three main
logistical models for statement taking that were used as appropriate in the different project
locations. First, a legal clinic model, in which statement givers could walk in for appointments
to meet with statement takers at certain designated times, was piloted in Minnesota. Although
it met with limited success in Minnesota, the model worked well in Ghana, where word spread
quickly through a small, dense community. The clinic model was also successful in Philadelphia
and other cities where a clinic was set up for a one-time statement taking opportunity. Second,
an individual appointment model was more successful in communities where Liberians lived
at further distances from each other, such as in the United Kingdom or Washington, DC/
Maryland. Finally, a door-to-door model operated well in communities where there was a
large concentration of Liberians living in a single apartment complex, neighborhood, or other
discrete area. In these areas, as in Liberia, volunteers went door-to-door explaining the process
and offering to document experiences for the TRC that very day.
3. Multiple process models for offering statement taking were required to meet the
varying needs of statement givers in the Diaspora. While the individual, signed statement
of experiences and recommendations to the TRC was the staple method of gathering
information for the Liberian TRC, several other processes were employed to reach out
to those who were not comfortable presenting their individual statements as part of the
official historical record of the TRC. Offering anonymous statements was an important
part of getting many individuals who had safety or immigration concerns in the diaspora
to participate. Group discussions were held around the United States and in Ghana, and the
comments from Liberians were documented as part of the TRC record. This process allowed
for information to be documented while at the same time minimizing the individual focus and
allowing participants to support each other through discussion. Finally, The Advocates’ staff
and volunteers conducted background interviews with Liberians around the United States
and the United Kingdom to fill in gaps in information gathered during the statement taking
process.
4. Liberians in the diaspora were sensitive to questions about their tribe/ethnicity and
about the status of their children. The process of interviewing Liberians to document
their statements was first tested in Minnesota with members of the advisory committee and
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