Students from Manhattanville College joined members of the Unity Baptist Tabernacle Church in Mount Vernon Wednesday night to discuss racism and prejudice.

Panelists encouraged others to differentiate between perception and reality. They also recounted acts of racism. They say the nation has come a long way, but racism remains a problem in the present day.

Manhattanville professor Jimmy Jones touched on the recent events at the University of Missouri, where a 19-year-old white man was arrested on suspicion of posting online threats to shoot black students. That suspect is a student of the college's sister campus.

Police say the racial tensions in Missouri led to protests and the resignation of the two university leaders earlier this week.