Group dedicated to improving race relations ? > , , Photo by Falacia McMillan The trew4 mf 100 mt the Crettinp ?2 Dinner wm? very retpenthre tm the ntenege ef Hency CeUint, te diretter ef MVOC. By PELECIA P McMllXAN ' COMMUNITY CQBRBfpnfypy^T When (John Newton decided to i nuke a change in his life, he vowed ; that he would never again be a ? ; slave trader. To solidify his promise, he I wrote one of the best known and best loved hymns of all time - ; "Amazing Grace." Ann Barefield, president of . Crossing 52, a group dedicated to ; improving race relations in Forsyth ; County, used the song and New I ton's story to illustrate a point - it ,' is possible to change racial atti ; tudes. "That is why we sing this song ? tonight," Barefield said. ; Barefield and the Rev. Clifford ; Coles of St. Stephens Episcopal ; Church, led a group of local resi '< dents in songs and prayers for racial healing during Crossing 52's ; annual dinner last Thursday at ; Mount Zion Baptist Church. The ! group sang inspirational songs like ; Blowing in the Wind." "Mothcr ; leu Child," and "I Heard of a City ?m Called Heaven." ' The music set the atmosphere of harmony among the 150 sup porters who dined at Mount Zion. The keynote speaker was civil rights attorney Nancy Collins, co director of Many Voices One Community. Collins and local activist Bill Turner work together with the group whose mission is to improve race relations. Their goal is to work with all of the organiza tions in Porsyth County that are involved in race relations to help them accomplish their goals and objectives. The vision of those in MVOC is to build a community dedicated to respecting people of all races. 'i feel so privileged to be here among you today," Turner said. "I feel privileged to be invited to work for Many Voices One Community. The President's Panel on Race Relations released its ' report recently though other things have overshadowed the results. William E. B. Du Bois stated that the prob lem of the Twentieth Century would be the color line, I am to glad we are taking tome proactive step* to address this problem." Turner invited membert of the audience to write, call and email in order to express their coalmentt about the how to bridge the gap between people of all racet. Turn er identified four critical ittuet to be addretted within the group: the quality of schools, education and job training of African American male* to they can be the economic supporters of their families, the criminal justice *y*tem and getting the public to support the efforts of the group. Collin* rote to national promi nence a* an attorney at the Chica go Legal Service for the Poor. She represented Jesse Jackson when he successfully sued the E<|ual Oppor tunity Council for racial discrimi nation. When she relocated to Washington, D.C., she represented African American union workers in a labor law case against the Department of Justice. She also won a .1400 million case against asbestos ufflipstoio m Richmond, VA. "Collin* ha* fought many socio-legal battle* on behalf of minorities, especially African American*, all of her adult life," ?aid group member Sid Kelly "I expect women to be in the fore front of the next social revolution. They have such a big humane social vuaon. They are willing to work on the mundane detail* that make it happen. Women like that, they will be hard to stop," Collins interest in civil right* began long before she started her law practice. She lived in predom inantly African American neigh borhoods in Chicago, and her chil dren attended African American schools. Collins, who ha* not practiced law in five years, said she's disillu sioned with the criminal justice system and the courts. "I saw people of color losing their rights in the court of law," she said. "It (racism) is a different bat tle to be lought in a different way. It is something that while people have to take up as our issue. We are helping ourselves, but we have a responsibility to make this coun try a place where we have what we earn and only what we earn and ensure that other have all of what they earn," Collins said MVOC is an orga nization dedicated to working as equals "We have a vision for racial healing that can take place in this community, a vision of a commu nity in which true equality is the norm not the exception, where blacks whites, Asians and His panics can work together as equals to make this a reality," she said. Collins gave the results of MVOC's 1997 The Study of Race Relations in Forsyth County and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation State Study in 1993. The four pri mary areas of race relations that beg for improvement include improving the vast gulf in how people of difference ethnicities pensive the power of race. "We live tn the same world, but we don't *ee it the tame way," the MUd Other key woe* included more open dialogue between the race*, eliminating ducYimuutvii unnil Meek male* and helping the media develop a more open approach to race relation. "We a* white people are not uecd to talking about ouraelve* a* people with a race. Moet white* do not consider thermdve* to he a member of a race, but for minori tic* it w a quettion of oridc, joy of finding a place in the universe, being a member of a group," ?he said She encouraged white* to "own up to the fact that being white give* u* unearned gift*, a kind or privilege that come* to u?." v Collin* had her own experience with discrimination when *he began practicing law She wa* often the only female in the court room Once a judge asked, "Little girl, what i? a woman doinp being a lawyer anyway? We will hear your aue last" frustrated with r? her plight, the toId Mother lawyer "Women'* problem*," he immc d lately replied "We don't even think of ourtetvc* a* men " Collin* exprewed her excite ment about working with Turner on improving race relation*. "He i* my partner in iht* work He i* a man I re*pect Our dirtier cnt perspective* give u* a chance to grow ,,. It may be the vi*it of the Pilgrim* of Peace or the African American InfuMon Protect. Bill and I ju*t want to be a part of it," ?hetaid The Kev, fterenu* Churn, pax tor of Mount Zion mid he wa* pleased U> have the MVOC and Crowing 52 hold their event at hi* church. "We recognize that race ? the number one problem in Ameri ca...Merc we are