A descendant of a notorious slave trader plans to facilitate a "coming to the table" dialogue on the legacy of slavery and reconciliation tonight.

American Tom DeWolf is now on the Island for a series of meetings organised by Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB).

He is a descendant of Captain James DeWolf. When the Rhode Island Senator, merchant and slave trader died in 1837, he was the second wealthiest man in the United States.

Mr. DeWolf's book 'Inheriting the Trade' describes confronting the dark roots of his family's history.

The author spoke at a Hamilton Rotary meeting yesterday and is the guest speaker at a public discussion this evening at the Cathedral Hall in Hamilton.

He will also speak with students at CedarBridge Academy and Sandys Secondary Middle School while here.

He said yesterday: "The feedback I've received has been limited, but what I do believe is that the broad themes are universal."

Mr. DeWolf said he wants tonight's meeting to bring people together for "dialogue and conversations with each other".

"I want it to be interactive, but people can feel free to just listen to the talk," he added.

His appearance here follows the airing of his cousin Katrina Browne's documentary 'Traces of the Trade' this month on CITV.

Mr. DeWolf told Hamilton Rotary members talk was the key in enabling blacks and whites to deal with the aftermath of slavery and segregation.

Responding to an assertion that black/white relationships in Bermuda are probably the best in the world, he said: "My instant response to that is, if you have the ability to meet with some black folks here in Bermuda and ask them ... it may surprise you."

He urged people to have "up-front, honest conversations with each other".

"Thinking everything is fine isn't necessarily true," he said.

"It's more complicated to have this conversation here. You're in a small island. You're very close together, a tight-knit community, in each other's business all the time."

He urged people to find ways to educate themselves on slavery's continuing impact.

"Some people ask why we can't just get over it. The answer is because it's not over. I spoke to a professor in Ghana who said slavery is a living wound, and that people today are still dying from this wound."

He said his own talks were an invitation to a deeper conversation about its impact.

Discussing the old notion that Bermudian slavery was less harmful because the Island had no plantations, Mr. DeWolf said: "It's abuse. If you've got a person who's been owned, whether they're being flogged or not, if they're someone else's property that's the worst form of oppression and abuse."

Tonight's meeting at the Cathedral Hall starts at 7 p.m.