Prayer vigil held near Confederate statue in North Carolina

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (AP) — About 75 people met for a prayer vigil near a Confederate statue in North Carolina’s fifth largest city.

Local media reported the group in Winston-Salem led by the Drum Majors Alliance on Sunday evening emphasized overcoming racism after  recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, about 165 miles (265 kilometers) to the northeast.

Those at the rally read from the Bible, led the audience in prayers, sang and talked about overcoming racial division.

Organizer Terrance Hawkins said he hoped to encourage deeper dialogue on racial issues.

Confederate statues that have been on courthouse squares for years have become controversial after white nationalists marched in Charlottesville to protest the town’s effort to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee.

A woman was killed when a man drove into a crowd of counter-protesters.

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