Can a nation truly heal from historic injustice, or does there come a point when it’s simply too late?

In this episode of Top of Mind, we explore what it really means to repair the harms of slavery, segregation, and systemic racism — not just through money, but through truth, relationship, and repentance.

A genealogist and descendant of enslaved people and a descendant of the largest slave-trading dynasty in U.S. history share the powerful story behind their book, “Gather at the Table,” and the unlikely friendship that grew from confronting their families’ painful pasts.

We also examine how other nations have attempted repair. A leading expert explains what South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission got right (and what it didn’t), and a rabbi outlines a five-step process for repentance and repair that challenges America’s tendency to rush to forgiveness without doing the deeper work.

GUESTS

Sharon Leslie Morgan, founder of Our Black Ancestry and co-author of “Gather at the Table” (https://gatheratthetable.net/)

Tom DeWolf, director and manager at Coming to the Table and co-author of “Gather at Table” (https://comingtothetable.org/)

(NOTE: Sharon Morgan died suddenly on Feb. 24, 2026. Read Tom’s tribute to her here: https://tomdewolf.com/2026/02/25/remembering-sharon-leslie-morgan/)

Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, professor of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention at Binghamton University (https://www.binghamton.edu/i-gmap/people/core_team.html)

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of “On Repentance and Repair” (https://danyaruttenberg.net/)

Original airdate: December 12, 2022

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(0:52) Meet Sharon and Tom

(1:55) Unearthing Family Histories

(6:07) Coming to the Table

(9:16) Parallel Worlds Exposed

(12:13) Alabama Cemetery Reckoning

(26:53) TRC Impact on Victims

(27:25) Reparations Promises and Reality

(28:01) Did the TRC Worsen Race Relations

(28:26) Limits of Truth for Healing

(30:22) When Truth Commissions Work Best

(31:10) America’s Patchwork Truth Efforts

(33:17) What Individuals Ca