'Come Meet A Black Person' Networking Event Wants To Help White People Meet Black People

Photo Credit: Pui Shan Chan

Yes, there is an actual event taking place in Georgia called "Come Meet a Black Person."

Taking place in Lawrenceville, a city near Atlanta, on Thursday, the event hopes to "help attendees learn about the black community."

"It's a great opportunity to start relationships," Cheryle Moses, founder of Urban MediaMakers and the creator of the event, said to CNN. "And if you have a relationship with somebody, you are inclined to treat them like yourself. If you don't have that relationship, then you'll only treat them based upon what you may have seen or read somewhere."

Moses said the event came about after the release of a 2013 study from the Public Religion Research Institute that revealed that 75 percent of white people in America don't have any non-white friends. The study also found that for most white people, their circle of friends is about 91 percent white. The report also showed that 65 percent of black people don't have any white friends, and the average social circle for a black American is about 83 percent black.

The event will function like a typical networking mixer featuring ID badges, food and drinks, and giveaways. But it will also feature a "cultural" scavenger hunt to encourage attendees to learn about the black community. Moses said if the event goes well they would like to make it a regular feature in 2018.

Source: cnn.com