Anti-racism campaigner Cordell Riley welcomed calls for open discussion on the issue of race equity, made this week by Canadian lawyer Kevin Comeau.Mr Comeau also said the lead-up to the coming election could provide an opportunity for forward progress as it provides a strong incentive for white Bermudians to carefully listen to the black community and support the creation of programmes aimed at helping them.Mr Riley, President of the group Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB) said the coming election doesn’t have to be a catalyst for dialogue, but said: “The call for or a discussion on racial equity, in our view, is always timely.“Back in March 2010, when there was a raft of gun shootings over the Christmas period, we held a forum on the root causes of gang violence as we were not only concerned that it cease, but that it never returned. Like Mr Comeau, we viewed Bermuda’s racial past as a contributor.“However, we are of the opinion that the upcoming election need not necessarily be the catalyst for a sense of urgency but we welcome the opportunity for dialogue in any event.“Racial inequity has taken place for more than 400 years — it is unlikely to be resolved in the next few months.“We welcome, though, Mr Comeau’s interest in resolving this matter, as well as his call to other whites to do their part. Whites seem to have absented themselves from this work over recent years and their return to the movement would be encouraging.”He said that any form of dialogue between the races on the issue of racial equity can make a difference, even if the parties disagree, as it helps improve the understanding of other perspectives.Mr Riley also said that CURB is very interested to hear Mr Comeau’s suggestions as to how the complex issue can be addressed.“CURB is familiar with the US’s Racial Equity and Fair Treatment Act of 2002, largely aimed at helping the poor, and the Black Economic Empowerment Bill in South Africa which came into effect after black-majority rule, to assist in closing the economic gap, among other efforts to bring about racial equity,” he said.“Given that the first major piece of legislation in Bermuda aimed at racial equity, the Workforce Equity Bill of 2007, was largely condemned by the white business community, and perhaps by blacks in the sectors that Mr Comeau mentioned, we would be most interested in hearing his solutions to this very complex challenge.In a speech made to the Hamilton Rotary Club, which was published in this newspaper, Mr Comeau said that racial inequity remains in Bermuda.He argued that the imbalance is not due to racism now, but is instead the result of hundreds of years of segregation and racial bias leaving black families with greater hurdles to overcome that their white counterparts.While black families bare the brunt of the disparities, Mr Comeau said that all Bermudians are effected by harmful social and economic consequences of the inequalities.PLP spokesman Curtis Williams said that the Progressive Labour Party is working to end racial inequality, and have been putting programmes into effect to do that.“When you walk through Bermuda, it’s plain to see that there are two worlds,” he said.“One Bermuda for the old wealthy families that have come from privilege and another Bermuda for the rest. Like the UBP before them, the OBA seeks to bring about radical change that will favour the old families and lock into place the two Bermudas.“The PLP is a party that was founded out of the struggle of segregation and oppression and has always been committed to the fight for social justice and equality for all our people.“Through programmes like the Economic Empowerment Zone, DayCare and FutureCare, the PLP is surely and steadily working to build a fairer Bermuda where all Bermudians have access to the opportunities that previously were out of reach to a large number of Bermudians.”