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Doll With Noose Opens Discussion On Race Relations

By Reg Chapman, WCCO-TV

NEW PRAGUE, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities woman hopes a picture she took will help bring about a positive discussion about race relations in Minnesota.

Kerry Felder took a picture of a black porcelain doll praying with a noose around its neck hanging from a tree outside a New Prague home.

She sent the picture to KMOJ where morning DJ Big Sy and Lisa Moy were already on the topic of race relations.

Their popular morning talk show's webpage went viral after a listener posted the image on KMOJ's Facebook fan page.

"The majority of our listeners this morning weren't surprised by it although the majority of the majority were still disgusted by it, upset," said KMOJ morning personality Big Sy.

People of all races and religions openly talked about the issue of race relations on the fan page and on the radio.

"I would have more respect for a person that is not of color to tell me that they don't like me than somebody to hang something from a tree," said one KMOJ listener.

The discussion centered on Felder's discovery while driving in New Prague.

"I just saw it out the corner of my eye and you know you see it really quickly and you just didn't believe what it was so I backed up and low and behold it was a little porcelain, black doll praying and it was hanging from a tree in a noose," she said.

Felder said the beating of a black man by two white men in Brainerd because of the color of his skin and this doll in a noose lets her know race is an issue that has been suppressed more than addressed.

"Many people said it's just time to stop listening to it. Its time to stop feeding into it," said Big Sy.

Big Sy said to be silent is not educating the community about an issue that never seems to go away.

Felder did point out that her mother is white, father is black and she embraces both sides of her heritage.

She says what she saw on Tuesday in New Prague is disturbing and she hopes people understand how these types of images set us back when it comes to race relations.

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