AGAWAM – Glenmeadow Retirement Community of Longmeadow will present a talk, “Race Relations in America: Thoughts on Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman,” on Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 10a.m. to Noon at Agawam Public Library.

Russ Vernon Jones of Amherst will lead the talk, which is free and open to the public and offered as part of Glenmeadow’s Fall/Winter 2013 Glenmeadow Learning series.

After the acquittal of George Zimmerman by a jury in Florida this summer,conversations around race exploded in living rooms across the country and dominated the news in print, online and on television. Even President Barack Obama was drawn into the commentary.

In his presentation, Vernon-Jones will look at the state of race relations in America, and he’ll lead a conversation about whether true equality is possible, and if so, how we get there.

Vernon-Jones is a retired school principal from Amherst. He grew up in both segregated and integrated neighborhoods in Philadelphia and has waged a life long fight against racism. He is now leading an anti-racist movement in Amherst, called “Coming Together: Facing Racism, Building Fairness and Connection,” which is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is a nonprofit, accredited continuing care retirement community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.

"As a nonprofit, our mission is to serve seniors and their families.One of the ways we do that is by providing free educational offerings in convenient locations throughout the area,” said Tim Cotz, president and CEO.

Space for the program is limited. For more information or to enroll, contact Glenmeadow at (413)567-7800 or email learning@glenmeadow.org. Visit glenmeadow.org/learning for more information.