Leon County and Village Square’s Club of Honest Citizens Hosts Talk on Race Relations

Leon County and Village Square’s Club of Honest Citizens Hosts Talk on Race Relations
Event scheduled for March 10 at The Moon

Leon County Government and Village Square’s Club of Honest Citizens will host their next event on Thursday, March 10 at 6 p.m. at The Moon, 1105 E. Lafayette St. Entitled “Created Equal: A Conversation about Race, Founding Ideals, and Our Hometown”, the event invites citizens to participate in a conversation on race and its impact to the community.

“With the backdrop of everything happening in our nation in terms of race relations, this is an important and timely community conversation”, said Leon County Commission Chairman Bill Proctor. “This Club of Honest Citizens event is intended to be provocative and engage citizens in a diverse and deliberate discussion on the ways in which race shapes our community.”

The event will kick-off with keynote speaker Neil Phillips, founder of the Visible Men Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Phillips is a renowned speaker on race relations and black male achievement who will touch on how race shapes perceptions and realities in communities. Following Mr. Phillips, diverse groups of citizens will discuss the state of race relations in Leon County and the opportunities that exist to bridge the racial divide within the community.

The Club of Honest Citizens is inspired by the Club of Honest Whigs, created by Benjamin Franklin prior to the American Revolution that encouraged vibrant discussion and debate on issues that led to ideas such as police, volunteer firefighters and the first public library. The Club of Honest Citizens events are held in unconventional locations like bars and coffee shops and intentionally provoke and challenge citizens and County officials alike on hot-button issues.

“The Club of Honest Citizens continues to provide Leon County with the opportunity to hold meaningful conversation on provocative topics that formulate greater relationship between citizens and their County government,” said Leon County Administrator Vincent S. Long. “This event, taking place at a popular nightclub, is intended to encourage the exchange of ideas that create collaborative relationships between citizens, elected officials and staff to address the issue of race in Leon County.”

The conversation on race will not end on March 10. The Club of Honest Citizens event will shepherd in a year-long discussion led by the Village Square. "We plan to build on the March 10 event with a variety of thought provoking programs that inspire and empower citizens to engage with each other,” said Village Square Executive Director Liz Joyner. "Next year on March 10 we’ll meet again to learn how these conversations impact the perception and behavior in the area of race relations, as we work to engage an ever-widening group of citizens."

The Club of Honest Citizens is open to all Leon County residents. Those interested in attending the March 10 event can register with Village Square at www.tallahassee.tothevillagesquare.org. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, contact Liz Joyner at (850) 264-8785 / liz@tothevillagesquare.org or Shington Lamy at (850) 606-5300 / LamyS@LeonCountyFL.gov .

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