The Eracism movement grew out of the 1993 Times-Picayune series, "Together Apart/The Myth of Race," which prompted many letters and phone calls to the paper from the public.

Many of these responses were filled with uncomprehending fear and hatred.

Too many for Rhoda Faust, a white woman in New Orleans.

After reading one more ignorant response from a white woman that made her cringe, Rhoda Faust decided she had to take action. She wrote a letter to the editor condemning the "hateful and ignorant" comments.

But the letter did not stop there. It went on to suggest that more of the people who do care "start getting messages to each other that we’re all on the same side." Faust wanted to make it clear that these hate-filled responses were not speaking for her or for the majority of people she knew.

Faust’s letter touched a responsive chord in Brenda Thompson, a black woman, who wrote to Faust offering to help her create "some sort of symbol, signal, something to let the world know that all of us aren’t infected with hate and can find a way to work together."

The Eracism bumper sticker became that symbol.

They also decided to start meeting at coffeehouses to have conversations and to get to know each other in informal settings.

From the grassroots efforts of two women, ERACE has distributed more than 100,000 bumper stickers and held more than 650 facilitated discussion meetings about racial issues.

Click here to read "White women, Metairie"'s response.

Click here to read Rhoda Faust's letter to the editor.

Click here to read Brenda Thompson's response.

Click here to read more about what have we accomplished since the summer of 1993.

© 1997 Jackson Hill / Southern Lights Studios