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Amid tensions, two NC friends lead others across the racial divide By Ned Barnett Political polarization grew intense last week as the Senate impeachment trial got underway in Washington, D.C., but in a meeting room at a Raleigh church a small but hopeful group reached across an old and painful divide — the gulf between blacks and whites. The gathering at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh was the monthly meeting of “Better Together 4NC,” a group based on the idea that mutual understanding and respect can heal a divide as old as the United States. The group was founded two and a half years ago by Jim Ward, 78, and Melvin Lee, 65. The men, one white and one black, are longtime friends and members of the Raleigh YMCA on Hillsborough Street. One day over a lunch at The Players’ Retreat restaurant near the Y they decided that the world would be better if more people had friendships that bridged racial differences. They formed “Better Together 4NC” on the premise that if more black and whites really spent time getting to know each other, racial differences would dissolve as individual characteristics — and common worries and hopes — emerged. The group holds meetings with guest speakers and dinners to socialize. Members are encouraged to pair off with someone of the other race to spend time one on one. The Rev. Lummie Spann, a black minister at St. Matthews AME Church in Raleigh, was paired off with Ward, who is white. The start of the relationship was candid but wary, Ward said. “He said, ‘I don’t trust you. You are on trial.’ ” Over time, Spann got to know Ward and saw something of himself in him. “You learn that you are not so different,” he said. “You are just a different color.” Today’s political polarization and the historic divide between blacks and whites are not the same, but race is certainly an element of the nation’s deep split over President Trump’s comments and policies. In 2016, he received 8 percent of the black vote and 57 percent of the white vote. Cassandra, a 56-year-old African-American from Johnston County who asked not to have her last name published, said she saw the meeting on Facebook and decided to attend because “I’m trying to see what those white people are talking about.” She added, “We’re Americans. We have a l o t i n common. We need to talk about it.” Speakers at the group’s meetings have included a state senator, a former judge, the Raleigh police chief and an attorney who reviewed the history of redlining by race in mortgage lending. Last Thursday, it was Dr. Alice Garrett, a retired educator, discussing the history and continuing importance of historically black colleges and universities. Garrett said the historically black institutions foster identity and build confidence by instilling in black students a sense that, “You are somebody and you go out into the world as somebody.” The discussion was typical of how the group can open better understanding between blacks and whites. Many whites may