The following is a press release regarding an upcoming symposium sponsored by CBF partner Baptist Seminary of Kentucky and CBF of Mississippi in partnership with the Oates Institute. Learn more below:

By Oates Institute

Once or twice a year the Oates Institutes offers a live Adobe Connect symposium on some cutting-edge topic. Thought leaders and experts lead in an in-depth examination of challenges faced in caring for persons in all kinds of settings.

In February, the Oates Institute, in partnership with co-sponsors Baptist Seminary of Kentucky and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi, presented An Interracial Dialogue featuring two documentaries, a discussion between the two producers, a Q & A, panel discussion, and a three-week collaborative learning experience based on Yvette Johnson’s book.

Yvette Johnson

“Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story” co-produced by Yvette Johnson, author of The Song and the Silence: Family, Race, and What Was Revealed in a Small Town in the Mississippi Delta While Searching for Booker Wright, premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.   Publishers Weekly review said, “With profound insight and unwavering compassion, Johnson weaves an unforgettable story… Brilliantly constructs a complex and empathetic look at racism in the South.”

“Mississippi ReMixed: A Fresh Look at Race Relations in the Deep South” by Canadian Myra Williams Ottewell follows Myra’s return to her birthplace in Jackson, Mississippi, determined to celebrate the great racial transformations in the state since the 1960’s. She instead discovers that understanding race relations is far more complicated than she bargained for. Mixed with interviews with state civil rights leaders and ordinary citizens, made in association with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, it exposes the struggles and successes Mississippi is having with interracial issues today. The project turned into a transformational experience for the producer, forcing her to come to grips with her unassuming “white privilege.”

Myra Williams Ottewell

The focus of the symposium will be on practical ways faith groups, spiritual caregivers, and others can participate in the transformation of attitudes and behaviors in relation to racial issues.

Persons who register for the live event or to watch online via Adobe Connect will be provided a link to watch both documentaries before the live event.

The first dialogue will take place on Sunday, April 28, from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, Miss. Myra Williams Ottewell and Yvette Johnson will then lead in a discussion about their films and experiences working toward racial justice, not just in Mississippi, but around the country.  Participants attending the dialogue and those joining by Adobe Connect will then be able to participate in a Q & A with the two producers. A reception will follow.

The second dialogue will take place at Simmons College of Kentucky on Wed, May 1, from 6 – 8 p.m. Myra and Yvette will continue their dialogue, inviting questions from the audience and a panel. This event will also be presented live via Adobe Connect.

Those who are registered for the symposia may also choose to take part in a three-week online collaborative discussion focused on Yvette’s book, The Song and the Silence.  The Oates Institute will offer 18 hours of CEUs for full participation in the symposia.

Registration fee includes online links to both documentaries, access to the two live dialogues via Adobe Connect, access to the two recordings of the live dialogues and participation in the three-week online discussion of Yvette Johnson’s book. Chaplains may earn a total of 18 CEUs for full participation.

Registration Information
Oates Institute members: $ 45 – Individual / $75 for 2 or more on one computer
Non-members: $95 – Individual / $125 for 2 or more on one computer
Without 3-week discussion and CEUs: Individual – $25 / $50 for 2 or more on one computer

Some scholarships are available. Learn more and register to attend virtually or in person here.