Jonestown Survivor
An Insider’s Look
by
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In 1974, at Christmastime, I had my first trip to Guyana. Jim took PC and some others to take a look at the location of our “Promised Land.” The church paid for everything. We rented a private plane, and Norman Ijames, the pilot son of AJ Ijames, flew us to Guyana. We flew into Georgetown and then took an interior flight to Matthew’s Ridge. Then, we took trucks and land rovers into the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project. When we got to the front gate, there was a deeply rutted dirt road for several miles into the area where we had started our community. We passed what would develop into our piggery on the right-hand side, about a mile from the front gate. Then we kept going into the area that had been sculpted out of the rainforest. There were several solid wood buildings, and many acres of leveled ground. They were at different stages of the process to make them ready to plant. Jim and the rest of us stayed for several days, slept out in the rain forest, saw the progress, heard the glowing reports, and then went back to Redwood Valley. I loved the country, the people I’d met, and the excitement of seeing the project. I don’t remember having any doubts that I’d find a place for myself there. Even though it was far (a world away) from any of the experience I’d had in my first 30 years, I felt hugged by the rain forest, and by the tropics. While there, we took turns doing security around the equipment and the piggery. We had no guns – we just stayed awake all night, talking to friends, so that no one would come up and take our things. I loved sitting up at night, in the tropics, listening to the forest. I can remember seeing a wild cat sitting up on the seat of one of our heavy equipment tractors watching us. I guess he thought he was scheduled for security too. One night, while walking to the piggery to do security, we picked lemon grass. Then we had lemon grass tea as we sat around in the piggery. Two people would always do security together. We just stayed on site, but still slept there. The assumption was that we’d wake up if someone or some animal came around. When we finally had to leave, we took the Cudjoe (our larger boat) into Georgetown. To me, it is fascinating that different ones of us on that trip have such different, vivid memories of the trip. I loved it. I loved the 12 hours in inland waterways, heading to the ocean. We would wave at the Amerindians as we floated by, just appreciating the loveliness of nature and the tropics. Then, the boat went the last 12 hours on the ocean, to Georgetown. It was a bit rough. Some on the boat got seasick – their memories are much more negative than mine, of course. I loved Georgetown also. To me, it had such a rich and vital air about it. All races moved together. The nation had rebuffed the British rule, and had become independent in the 1950’s. The leadership was Black, East Indian and Chinese. There was a sprinkling of other races – but the whole culture seemed so rich and inclusive, and so interesting to experience. I hadn’t found anything about Guyana not to like. New website: www.jonestownsurvivor.com - contact her through the website with your invitations to speak and your comments.
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About the Book
Laura Johnston Kohl was a teen activist working to integrate public facilities in the Washington, D.C., area. She actively fought for civil rights and free speech, and against the Vietnam War throughout the 1960s. After trying to effect change single-handedly, she found she needed more hands. She joined Peoples Temple in 1970, living and working in the progressive religious movement in both California and Guyana. A fluke saved her from the mass murders and suicides on November 18, 1978, when 913 of her beloved friends died in Jonestown.
Soon after this, Synanon, a residential community, helped her gradually affirm life. In 1991, she got to work, finished her studies, and became a public school teacher. On the 20th anniversary of the deaths in Jonestown, she looked up fellow survivors of the Jonestown tragedy and they have worked to put the jigsaw puzzle together that was Peoples Temple. Her perspective has evolved as new facts have cleared up mysteries and she has had time to reflect. Her mission continues to be to acknowledge, write about, and speak about why the members joined Peoples Temple, why they went to Guyana, and who they were. She lives with her family in San Diego. Laura appreciates feedback about her book, and especially likes clarifying information or answering questions that come up as you read. Contact her through her new website: www. jonestownsurvivor.com
About the Author
Laura Johnston Kohl - author of JONESTOWN SURVIVOR: An Insider's Look When 914 members of Peoples Temple and four visiting Americans died in Guyana, South America on November 18, 1978, Laura Johnston Kohl survived. She was one of 87 who lived through the trauma. After participating with the Black Panthers, and attending Woodstock, Laura moved into Peoples Temple in California in 1970, and was an active and enthusiastic member until the day it ended. She moved to Guyana in March 1977. She frequently traveled between Georgetown and Jonestown, a 24-hour boat ride, but moved into Jonestown in October 1978. Laura’s survival was a fluke. It took twenty years for Laura to rebuild her life and have the determination to research this tragedy. The first ten years were spent in Synanon. Then, she reunited with many of the other survivors to put the pieces together and to get some understanding. After ten years she wrote her autobiography. Today, Laura is a bilingual teacher, a member of ReadLocal San Diego, on the Speakers’ Bureau of The Jonestown Institute, a bilingual international speaker, a Quaker, and a Board Member of the Communal Studies Association. She is interviewed often by national and international media, most recently the “Voice of Russia” radio program. Contact www.jonestownsurvivor.com to schedule talks. Laura’s presentations cover such topics and issues as: • Surviving tragedy and survivors’ guilt • Reflections on Peoples Temple • History - 1960s, 1970s and 1980s • New Religious Movement • Group (cult) dynamics – red flags • Human Rights and activism • Synanon – a residential community where Laura lived from 1980-1990 • Group psychology • Communal studies • Bilingual education (Spanish-English) • The cult of personality in leaders • Quaker activism (Laura is a Quaker) • The Occupy Movement and activism Laura’s recent presentations include: • York College of Pennsylvania • San Diego City College • Mexico City Book Talk in English/Spanish • Penn State U - Political Science, History, and Sociology classes • Grossmont College • Ricki Lake Show • Puget Sound University • Western. Washington University • Libraries throughout California • Co-housing groups in California • Visalia, Lake Co., Santa Rosa and San Diego Meetings of Society of Friends • KPOO Radio Interview, San Francisco • Books, Inc. San Francisco • San Diego Branch Library Book Talks • Numerous Local Author events • Cal State San Marcos History Classes • Miramar Coll. Women’s History Month • Communal Studies Assoc. Conferences at the Oneida Community and Old Harmony, and many others. JONESTOWN SURVIVOR: An Insider’s Look is available in eBook and print at amazon.com, iUniverse, Barnes & Noble. Visit her website: www.jonestownsurvivor.com. Listen to JONESTOWN SURVIVOR PODCAST at http://www.libraryyou.escondido.org/jonestown-survivor.aspx. Photos at www.flickr.com (Peoples Temple PhotoGallery). She can be reached at: lkohl1920@hotmail.com. Her new website is www.jonestownsurvivor.com