HAMILTON — Race relations will improve when people intentionally place themselves in situations in which they feel uncomfortable and build relationships with people who have different views.

        That was part of the message Gary Hines delivered to a racially diverse audience of more than 100 people Wednesday during the sixth “Racial Legacies and Learning: How to Talk about Race” town meeting at Miami University in Hamilton.

Gary Hines (right), a local NAACP official, speaks with a meeting attendee in Hamilton on Wednesday. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

        “We need to be a community that embraces difference,” said Mr. Hines, keynote speaker and president of the Hamilton/Fairfield/West Chester chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

        “You have to be prepared to reach out and take a hand that you've never taken before,” said Mr. Hines, who challenged participants to be open-minded and confront their fears of race. He said many people have problems with people of other races or ethnicities because they are afraid of the unknown.

        Steve Mellott, who works for Miller Brewing Co., said race and diversity are among the most difficult topics to discuss in the workplace because people are fearful of saying the wrong thing or being falsely labeled.

        During the question-and-answer period, there was some discussion about the “n-word.”

        “It's a degrading word no matter how you say it, no matter how you spell it,” said Tony Parrott, director of the Butler County Department of Environmental Services.

        A black youth admitted to the audience that he uses the “n-word” as a term of endearment, and sometimes calls his white friends the word.

        The discussion also focused on racial profiling, media portrayal of blacks, hate crimes and racial equality.

        “I believe if we truly believe we are all equal, we wouldn't have the race problem and all the other problems,” said Eunice Meadows, who lives in Hamilton.

        Mr. Hines ended the two-hour program by saying, “Race is a fact of life, but it doesn't have to be a way of life.”

        The university and Hamilton's Human Relations Department sponsored the town meeting, which also featured a panel discussion.
       

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