Some Mississippians are meeting to talk about how to heal the growing racial divide.
More than 100 Episcopalians from across Mississippi are in Canton, to talk about racial reconciliation. One of the guest speakers is Katrina Browne from Pennsylvania. She produced a documentary about her ancestors in Rhode Island, after discovering they were the largest slave trading family in U.S. history. Browne says she and members of family retraced the Triangle Trade Slave Route from Rhode Island to Ghana to Cuba and it was life changing.
"The majority of us have changed our careers as a result and are champions for the idea of reckoning process in this dialogue, so we go to churches, and schools, and community groups and museums and present and help facilitate dialogue," said Browne.
Mississippi Bishop Brian Seage says the nation is facing growing challenges surrounding race. He points to comments made by actress Roseanne Barr comparing an Obama Administration official to an ape as an example.
"And for her to say such incredibly vile things that insult a person's humanity the way they did. I found it very shocking," said Seage.
Anita George, a retired educator spearheaded the event. She says they're committed to diving into the issue of race and being open about how they feel.
"We have to step outside of ourselves and look at ourselves. When we do that in community with other people we're more likely to accept where we are the good and the bad," said George.
Bishop Seage says it will take dialogue and building relationships to foster racial healing.
