IN HOT WATER? HERE’S A HOTLINE

White people who want to talk race issues at Thanksgiving can lean on a text hotline set up by an organization that wants people to seek out such conversations, not steer clear of them. The group, called Showing up for Racial Justice, says the idea was spurred after hearing from “newly politicized” people from around the country nervous about the holiday.

The hotline is designed to help people who get stuck in tough spots during racial conversations. They can text “SOS” and choose from a menu of options to get helpful facts or talking points so they can have respectful conversations without alienating family members, said Heather Cronk, co-founder of a group formed in 2009 amid backlash to election of President Barack Obama.

“I would liken it to the Butterball hotline, but it’s not about turkeys, it’s about your racist uncle,” said Cronk from her home in Washington, D.C.