海角大神

In this rural outpost, a pair of statues collectively called 鈥淩econciliation鈥� celebrate two natives and their heritage, Jewish financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch and African-American baseball legend Larry Doby.

The town library features a bronze figurine of an African-American boy reading a Langston Hughes poem. And the police chief tells his officers they should acknowledge, in everyday conversations with black residents, policing鈥檚 legacy of racism 鈥� and find ways to apologize.

And yet even here in Camden, a town of 7,000 with a history of acceptance and openness,聽African-American resident聽Jacqueline Greene-Stuckey recalls a small white child pointing at her in the grocery store and asking, 鈥淢ommy, mommy is that the (n-word)?鈥�

The South鈥檚 stubborn, persistent history of racial prejudice is usually not so brazenly on display. But the 2015 Charleston shooting, in which a white聽supremacist聽killed nine congregants at an African-American church, has created an opening for addressing its racial legacy head-on, says civil rights and political organizer Bud Ferillo.

In the wake of the mass shooting, he helped set up the聽South Carolina Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation聽at the University of South Carolina (USC), an initiative designed to encourage communities to address racism by building stronger alliances and friendships across racial lines. Camden, given its history, will be among the first communities in South Carolina to participate in the program, which debuts this fall.

鈥淸South Carolina] is the home of American slavery. It was the major port of entry for 40 percent of slaves into the United States, nullification, states鈥� rights, secession, the act of secession, the start of the Civil War,鈥� Mr. Ferillo says. 鈥淣ow, in South Carolina, there鈥檚 a crack in the door, because of an interest on the part of community leaders to address this racial alienation that has persisted for so long. African Americans have been waiting for 350 years to have this conversation.鈥�

鈥楾he face of Camden鈥�

Alfred Mae Drakeford, who recently became Camden鈥檚 first African-American mayor with a 24-vote win in November, recruited the black participants for the initiative; her predecessor, Tony Scully, recruited the white half of the group.

The initiative is focused around 鈥渨elcome tables鈥澛爐hat have even numbers of white and black participants who engage in exercises that build trust and foster deep, substantive dialogue. Camden鈥檚 welcome table will have 24 participants, guided by two facilitators.

Mayor Drakeford and two others, Ms. Greene-Stuckey and Connie Rouse, say in an interview in Drakeford鈥檚 small City Hall office that they are eager for the conversations to begin.聽

There are specific issues they would like to address,聽such as how black children are treated in schools and ensuring African-Americans have a shot at civic leadership posts. But they also said they believe that a conversation on race is vital on its own.

While many, white and black, remain happily segregated in their view, the three said opportunities to address challenges when they arise as a unified community are sometimes lacking as African Americans are underrepresented on town boards and other leadership positions. Camden is about 35 percent black.

鈥淚n Camden, there鈥檚 no hatred, there鈥檚 not anger, there isn鈥檛 protest, but there is clearly two communities,鈥� says Ms. Rouse, a writer and activist.

Drakeford says that as the only black member of the City Council for years, she didn鈥檛 want to be seen as the African-American community鈥檚 de facto voice. But that is often what happened.

鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 put it on the table, it wasn鈥檛 discussed,鈥� Drakeford says.

Greene-Stuckey chimes in:聽鈥淎 lot of the time we say we鈥檝e done it [transcended racial problems], and that鈥檚 the biggest lie I鈥檝e ever heard.鈥�

The three start talking about Drakeford鈥檚 historic election. The only black member of the City Council for years, she ran against a fellow councilwoman, and while former Mayor Scully didn鈥檛 endorse anyone formally in the election, many knew he had said that when he stepped down he would back the other candidate.

Scully wrote a column in a local publication that said both were good choices and had the character and experience to be mayor. He also wrote: 鈥淎s I see it, the core question remains, which candidate do you want to serve as the voice and the face of Camden?鈥�

With the race behind her, Drakeford is reluctant to talk about the incident, but gives a knowing smile. Her friend Ms. Greene-Stuckey chimes in, 鈥淲e know exactly what he was saying,鈥� she said, drawing attention to the 鈥渇ace鈥� comment.

Tellingly, Drakeford has never discussed the issue with Scully, even though she considers him a friend.

Scully, who is in his 70s and had moved to Camden from Los Angeles in 2005,聽says he has thought deeply about聽racial issues throughout his career in theater and when he was mayor of Camden. When USC and Ferillo approached him about the race and reconciliation initiative, he made sure that the town embraced the effort.

At first, in response to a reporter鈥檚 questions about his letter, he expresses exasperation at the thought that his words could have been called racist. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to participate in fighting and I鈥檓 just not going to do it if that鈥檚 what this [reconciliation initiative] is going to be. I just can鈥檛,鈥� he says. But then he adds, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 maybe why we need the welcome table if she perceives that as race.鈥�

A model from Mississippi

This small example of how race聽is a factor聽in the eyes of some and not others is common in small communities, says Susan Glisson, who has guided USC鈥檚 program and聽also聽helped start the Mississippi initiative it is modeled after. That model,聽 by聽the University of Mississippi鈥檚聽William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation,聽sprung out of former President Bill Clinton鈥檚 Initiative on Race talks in the late 鈥�90s. In 2004, the institute鈥檚 efforts helped pressure authorities to bring charges and convict Edgar Ray Killen, a notorious Ku Klux Klan murderer.

Since then, some victories have been high-profile, like the University of Mississippi鈥檚 public efforts to reconcile its racial history 鈥� part of a nationwide trend of universities confronting their past association with slavery. Others have been quiet, such as groups building trust to speak to each other across racial lines.

鈥淵ou have to change hearts and minds 鈥� in small groups. It鈥檚 tedious, long term work,鈥� says Ms. Glisson, who now runs a consulting firm called Sustainable Equity that provides the community-based model聽for racial reconciliation. Glisson uses civil rights-era community organizing principles and methods, among others, to foster substantial dialogue among the groups she works with. She has found over the years that establishing from the very beginning that shame isn鈥檛 productive helps lead groups to get to know one another and want to tackle problems.

鈥淲e say at the very outset that this not blaming or shaming anybody,鈥� Glisson said. 鈥淣obody alive today invented racism.鈥�