Rev. Larry Walker, an African-American pastor at Celebration Church in Columbia, was in middle school when he was told "how to behave" if he was stopped by the police.
Continuing what has become a generational conversation, Walker passed down the advice to his sons. He hopes his grandchildren do not have to hear it again.
A town hall organized by the African American Community Roundtable of Howard County, a community organization he leads, is a critical first step in making that happen.
The roundtable, a group of Howard County organizations and churches that work to improve the lives of African American residents, is hosting a town hall titled "Tipping Point," on Monday, Aug. 8 to tackle race-related challenges amid growing nationwide concerns about community policing, organizers said.
Recent national videos of violent encounters between African Americans and police are hitting African-American youth especially hard, organizers said. Some youth, they said, worry about being stopped by security at the mall when they walk in groups.
Robert Turner, a senior pastor at St. John Baptist Church in Columbia and vice president of the roundtable, said the conversation about racism and the African-American experience needs to extend beyond discussions around private dining tables.
"People are having individual conversations, People are having family conversations. We need to move to have a community conversation so that if there are system changes that need to take place, we can talk about them to figure out how to do them," Turner said.
The event, moderated by Patrice Sanders, a Fox45 morning news anchor, will touch on topics like public safety, mental health and community-police relations in order begin an "honest conversation" between elected officials, community leaders and residents of all ethnicities.
"When I came here in 1973, the Howard County I see is a whole lot better than it was 40 something years ago, but we can be better," Walker said. "I'm trusting that our community is big enough to have real dialogue on how the color of one's skin provides certain responses."
Howard County is not immune to racism, organizers said. "We can't assume everything is fine because we're in this planned community. Everything is not always fine," Turner said.
African American students are seven times more likely to be suspended than white students, according to 2014-2015 data reviewed by the roundtable.
In February, a viral video of Mount Hebron High School senior's rant against African-Americans in February prompted students to stage a walkout earlier in the year.
Nearly 13 percent of the county is African-American, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Candace Dodson-Reed, founder of the table, said the current "divisive" and "hateful" national rhetoric demands action.
"We can do better as a community and if [that conversation] can't happen in Howard, it can't happen anywhere," Dodson-Reed said. "It needs to be a two-sided conversation. There should be respect for the police and the African American members of the community. That does not always happen."
Walker recognizes the town hall will not be a "kumbaya moment," but is a critical step in creating meaningful social change, he said.
"We may be better than a lot of places, but we are not immune," Walker said. "I want to see Howard County take the lead and have transparent conversations that make us better. It's the perspective in the room when policies are being made and strategies are being developed that makes change happen. We want this to be a true community conversation."
The scope of the event is intentionally broad and will include topics like the impact of videos of police brutality on youth, effective community policing, community-police relations and public safety.
"The only way we can deal with the range of emotions is to face and be willing to express them," Dodson-Reed said.
The event, "Tipping Point -- A Critical Community Conversation," is on Monday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Howard Community College Smith Theatre.