Vincent Peterson, a longtime Trumbull County probation officer, pastor and former Youngstown State University football standout, has seen and experienced much in his 57 years.

A graduate of the Raymond John Wean Racial Equity and Inclusion workshop, Peterson said the two-day program opened his eyes to the history of inequality in the Mahoning Valley and around the country.

“It brings a lot of awareness to the history of why different things that are happening today started many years ago,” Peterson said. “With that awareness, it opened up conversations about race and biases that people may have that initially people may have felt uncomfortable discussing.”

Peterson went to his first Race, Equity and Inclusion workshop three or four years ago. He went through it a second time earlier this year with 20-plus law enforcement officers from communities across the Mahoning Valley.

“The workshops I attended had diverse groups of people,” Peterson said. “I believe the workshops opened up a lot of eyes and ears to do things differently in their businesses.”

Read more about the workshop and how to register in Monday’s Vindicator.