A community activist has defended plans for a 'white on white' forum to discuss the race issue in Bermuda, and urged members of the Island's white community to participate in it.

Dr. Eva Hodgson says there have been "raised eyebrows and questions" about plans for the forum next month, at which whites are invited to join internationally acclaimed white author Tim Wise to discuss Bermuda's challenges for race reconciliation.

However, she contacted The Royal Gazette to explain the reasons why, in her opinion, it is correct to have advertised the event in this manner.

"Questions have been raised about whether this was an appropriate thing to do or not," said Dr. Hodgson, a historian and the founder of the National Association for Reconciliation (NAR).

"The reason for doing it is because whenever black and whites on rare occasions have talked together in these meetings, blacks have become very emotional and accusatory and whites have responded with defensiveness.

"I had that experience more than a decade ago when I first founded NAR.

"The second part of it is that over the years since NAR and the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) have been founded, we have had meetings discussing the issue of race and the reality is that the white community generally doesn't participate.

"Sometimes one or two will turn up, but they generally don't participate.

"The white community in general pretty much ignores the black community."

Dr. Hodgson said that these are the very reasons why it is a positive thing for the white on white forum ? the first of its kind in Bermuda ? to have been organised.

Urging people to participate in the event, which kicks off at Cathedral Hall, Court Street Hamilton at 7 p.m. on October 11, she said: "Someone asked me why I thought whites would come out on this occasion and my response was that they will know beforehand that they won't have to deal with accusatory or hostile comments from those in the black community.

"Also, several whites including the Royal Gazette editor and Limey in Bermuda have recently written commentaries saying that race relations needed some attention, or words to that effect. The very first step has to be for the white community to participate in the dialogue.

"One hopes that, for these reasons, the white community as a community and not just a few thoughtful individuals will come along to what promises to be an interesting evening. "

Mr Wise is the author of the acclaimed books White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son and Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White.

He is the Director of the Association for White Anti-Racist Education in Nashville, Tennessee, and lectures on this subject across the USA.

The forum, along with several other events, has been organised by the NAR in collaboration with CURE to celebrate CURE's tenth anniversary.

"The emphasis during discussions on race in Bermuda initiated by the black community have been on the injustices meted out to that community and the economic gap, but Tim Wise approaches the issue of race relations quite differently from the manner in which this issue has generally been approached and that in itself should encourage people to come along," explained Dr. Hodgson.

She added that members of the black community should also be interested in attending the two other events at which Mr Wise will appear on October 12. These are a lunchtime discussion forum between 12 and 2.30 p.m at the Bermuda National Gallery, City Hall, and a community meeting and discussion at 8 p.m. at St Paul's Centennial AME Church.

"It's important for the black community to hear him as most of that community is at the moment cynical about the prospect of any movement in race relations and are distrustful of the white community.

"I think it would be healthy for those in the black community to hear a white person who has devoted his life to trying to address the issue," she said.

Information on all the events is available online at www.cure.bm.