“Living Your Truth” series, presented by the Social Justice, Racial Equity Collaborative

The Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III and Alex Sanders continued their conversation on racial healing and transformation Tuesday, but this time they also tackled current events and answered questions posed by the audience.

Evening Post Industries Chairman Pierre Manigault was the moderator of a conversation between Sanders and Rivers that was the second part of the “Living Your Truth” series, presented by the Social Justice, Racial Equity Collaborative and convened by The Sophia Institute. The event was held at Emanuel AME Church.“We know these are often uncomfortable conversations to have,” said Barbara Kelley-Duncan, co-chairman of the collaborative. “But if we don’t do something in our lives, it’s just all coming together for another event to hear two people talk. Sanders and Rivers both explained why they believe the statue of John C. Calhoun in Marion Square should be removed.“As long as the John C. Calhoun statue is able to stay right over there, it means that I am still less in your heart and in your mind,” Rivers said. “Until that’s as offensive to you as it is to me, then we are just dancing.”Rivers compared the statue to putting in Charleston a statue of Dylann Roof, the self-avowed white supremacist who gunned down nine people at Emanuel in June 2015.

“Every time you (people) get upset when I raise the issue of John C. Calhoun, know that for me, he is Dylann Roof,” Rivers said.

Sanders, former College of Charleston president, told a story of once seeing an employee of the College outside his house crying.

When he approached her, she said, “When I see that (Confederate) flag on that fraternity house over there… it makes me think they hate me.”“That never occurred to me,” Sanders told the crowd.When Sanders approached the fraternity and asked them to remove the flag, the members were ready for a fight until he told them they should remove it “because it makes Nancy cry.”“They took it down,” he said. “For one brief moment, at least, it became a matter of personal relationships. If we could all understand this, the way Nelson Rivers explains it, the way Nancy explained it, I think the issue would evaporate. Don’t you?”About 125 people attended Tuesday’s event.“We really focused this time on making sure there was more time for questions and answers so that the audience could get more involved,” said Dee Partridge, program coordinator for The Sophia Institute. “I think it really went well in terms of the audience getting involved.” The next event in the series is scheduled for Nov. 14 with Millicent Brown and Armand Derfner at Burke High School auditorium.Reach Brenda Rindge at 843-937-5713. Follow her on Twitter @brindge.