OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi’s William
Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation is scheduled to
co-host the regional Alliance for Truth and Racial
Reconciliation’s Planning Conference Nov. 9-11.
During the conference, 14 representatives from various
organizations throughout the region are to present case
studies discussing specific responses to racial violence
within their communities. A panel of conferees are to hear
the cases and give feedback discussing the best strategies
to proceed.
The public is welcome to attend the panel session Saturday
(Nov. 10) at 1:30 p.m. in Peabody Hall. Panelists include
former Gov. William Winter and Rita Bender, widow of one of
the three civil rights workers killed in Neshoba County in
1964.
Following the panel presentation, conferees are to meet in
small groups to discuss various topics of reform. For
example, one group’s discussion will focus on Atlanta and
work that can be done to improve Georgia as whole, while
others will discuss lobbying actions and possible revisions
to public policies.
“Forming a coalition of several different groups will give
us leverage to advance common policies concerning race
relations,” said Susan Glisson, executive director of the
Winter Institute. “By having a wide range of opinions, we
should be able to compare and contrast strategies from
various communities. Each place has its own challenges and
strategies on how to handle them.”
The alliance was formed at a 2006 conference at UM, which
brought together groups from across the American South
devoted to racial justice and reconciliation. The
conference grows out of continuing work around the region,
which includes curriculum development, exhibits, memorials,
truth commissions, prosecutions and community
organization. The grass-roots alliance pledged at its
convening conference to “commit ourselves to the creation
of a more perfect union in which justice, dignity and
respect for all our fellow human beings is secured.”
The coalition’s aim is to establish a new meaning for the
Confederacy and create a New South that will lead the
nation away from racism, violence and poverty, and toward
truth, equality and peace, Glisson said.
For more information or assistance related to a disability,
contact Glisson at 662-915-6734 or glisson@olemiss.edu. A
full conference schedule is available at
To learn more about the Winter Institute, visit