“Sites of Conscience” throughout the United States will be the topic of the Real Talk Community Forum at Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum on Oct. 12.

A part of the museum’s Real Talk Community Forum series, the panel discussion is set for 6 p.m. in the museum’s auditorium. Before the panel, the museum will host a special screening of “Descended from the Promised Land: The Legacy of Black Wall Street,” beginning at 5:30 p.m., presented by Odyssey Impact.

Sites of conscience are defined as museums, memorials, historic sites, memory initiatives or non-governmental organizations that give a voice to some of society’s most marginalized groups. These sites seek to raise awareness on a range of social and human rights issues through historical interpretation of their site, public programs, creations of positive action on issues raised by their site and promotion of justice and universal human rights.

Dr. Dan Puckett, Troy University Professor of History, will moderate the discussion by panelists Phil Armstrong of Greenwood Rising, Artist Renee Billingslea, Dr. Ibrahima Seck of Whitney Plantation and Charles Woods of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

In addition to the panel and screening, the newest visiting exhibition, “Ten Japanese-American Concentration Camps” by returning artist Renee Billingslea will have its opening reception on Thursday, Oct. 14. The reception is free and open to the public, and the exhibition is available for free viewing in the gallery during the museum’s normal hours of operation.

The Real Talk Community Forum Series is held regularly by the museum to address current topics of interests or concern and offers area residents the opportunity to gain information and share viewpoints in a safe and civil setting. The forum is supported by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Alliance, a state partners of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information, contact Madeline Burkhardt at 334-241-8701 or by email at mburkardt@troy.edu.