Racism discussed during MLK Jr. Lunch and Learn
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Three Fort Scott individuals who have experienced racism discussed how to progress Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision during a Lunch and Learn held Monday at the Fort Scott Community College.
Through the discussion, panelists agreed race relations have changed in the nearly-50 years since King's death, but there is still a great deal of work to do.
About 50 people attended a Lunch and Learn held at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.
The panelists, Carol Bakke, Michael Cook, and Larry Seals, with Jared Witt moderating, spoke of their personal accounts of racism and how to deal with it in an effort to motivate the community to talk about the issues with race relations.
"One way to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is to have good honest conversations," Witt said. "What an interesting time this is for all of us -- as a community, as a nation -- in terms of a race."
USD 234 Superintendent Bob Beckham commented on the importance of the continuation of King's vision.
"I think it speaks volumes that this many years past we are celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.," he said.
Witt mentioned several racial events that occurred in 2015 which caused stirs, including the Mizzou football team boycott; Rachel Dolezal, a Caucasian woman heading a chapter of the NAACP who posed as an African American; South Carolina voting to remove the Confederate flag from its state capital; racial issues at FSCC, police brutality, and others.
"Things are better with racism, but racism as a whole is still in existence," Seals said. "My son, who goes to (Jared's) church, he was hit with the 'N-word'. A lot of times when people talk about racism, they just don't want to be honest."
To help combat racism he may receive, Seals taught his son to respond with logic.