Public invited to discuss ‘New Jim Crow’ and racism in Charlotte

The public is invited to join a new Charlotte discussion group on race that will start by reading “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.”

The first meeting is 6 to 8 p.m. July 28 at The Third Place coffeehouse, 1609 E. Fifth St. Find details about the group and additional meetings at the Educate to Engage Facebook page.

Patrice Funderburg, a diversity and social justice advocate, created the group in the wake of the recent violence and turmoil involving police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minn., followed by a sniper attack on police at a Dallas Black Lives Matter protest.

Funderburg said the goal is to end institutionalized racism, and that education is the first step. The group is using the hashtag #NoMoreBystanding.

Another recently created group, Queen City Together, plans a peaceful protest against police brutality and inequality in the legal system at 10 a.m. Saturday at Romare Bearden Park in uptown Charlotte.

Ann Doss Helms

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Public invited to discuss ‘New Jim Crow’ and racism in Charlotte."