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The 2012 Upstate Minority Leadership Conference: Winter Session Beyond the " I AM" in Leadership The conference will be held on Saturday January 28, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel (located on 5 Orchard Park in Greenville, SC) from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM. The conference will be split into two sessions: The first session, "Beyond the "I AM" in Leadership" begins at 9:30 AM and will be faciliated by Dr. Idella Glenn. The second session, "Why Multi-Facet Collaborations are Essential to Community Growth", will begin at 3:00 PM and will be faciliated by Mr. Herb Johnson (Michelin, NA). The registration...


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The Sister Citizen Event: Dinner and Book Discussion The "Let's Talk Series" is to get people to discuss cultural differences through a series of books. West End District: 1257 Pendleton Street "Sister Citizen" by Melissa Harris-Perry is the first of the dialogue series. The "Sister Citizen"event captures several forms of the African American culture with music featuring jazz artist Jamie Wright. The event will also showcase African-American Artists and their works. The centerpiece of the evening is the dialogue with special selected readings by our own Sonya Caldwell. The "Let's Talk...


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Local diversity group hopes book, race relations study gets folks talking By: Melissa Blanton When Paul Guy was looking for a book for members of the Beyond Differences book club, he decided he needed one that could help start a conversation between blacks and whites. Nothing accusatory, just a book that would tell a personal story and offer some practical advice. He scourged the pages of 33 books before he found one that fit the bill – “It’s the Little Things,” written by New York Times journalist Lena Williams. For Guy, Williams’ no-nonsense and humorous approach to the topic...


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An upstate group is trying to start a new conversation about race relations, specifically focusing on young people. The group is recruiting college presidents to join the cause. A luncheon in the Hilton’s Palmetto Ballroom on Wednesday served as the starting point for a new dialogue on race relations. The group called Beyond Differences has asked local college presidents to lead the discussion. Beyond Differences Executive Director Paul Guy said, “Most of the time our presidents usually stay on campus. We want to bring them to the community because they cultivate young minds.” A...


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Local organizations find more religious than racial tension By E. Richard Walton, Staff Writer Greenville began its newest conversation about race before Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave his recent speech on race. Russ Stall, Greenville Forward’s executive director, and Paul Guy, a partner in Beyond Differences, started the discussion here when they sent out 1,200 copies of a survey with 32 questions about race. Obama was all but forced to talk about race, while it was optional for Stall and Guy. Stall is white, Guy is black. Both say they’re trying to bring...


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By E. Richard Walton, Staff Writer, Greenville Online “Race matters. It makes a difference.” That’s the message that emerged when a diverse group of 75 people gathered to listen to the results of a “race survey” in Greenville, co-sponsored by Beyond Differences and Greenville Forward. The discussion occurred over lunch today at the Crowne Plaza on Congaree Road. “One in five respondents says race relations are ‘poor’ or not very good” in Greenville, the survey results revealed. A second finding: “Whites rate race relations higher than African Americans and the more...


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