The Laurel First United Methodist Church hoped to shed some light on race relations in Mississippi and Jones County in its “Journey to the Light” exploration conference on Thursday afternoon.

A number of distinguished speakers, including former federal judge Charles Pickering and Laurel Mayor Melvin Mack, spoke on the Civil Rights Movement in its original capacity in the 1950s and 60s, where it is in the present and where it needs to go in the future for true equality to be accomplished.

Mack spoke about a trip to Washington, D.C., when he spoke on behalf of Pickering for an appointment to a federal judgeship. Mack said it was a shame that people tried to get him to speak negatively about Pickering, whom he had known most of his life, just because of the color of his skin.

Pickering said white people need to do a better job in understanding the hardships African-Americans have been through in the past, but both sides must also be able to look to the future to be able to move forward.

“We must reconcile the past, but we must focus on the future,” Pickering said. “Let’s look at the progress we have made in race relations as a glass half full and not a glass half empty.”

He also said the older generations need to instill hope in young people because it is a lack of hope that usually drives young people to drugs or crime.

“Mississippi is not going to rise, the black population or the white population, unless we all rise together,” Pickering said.