With the George Zimmerman trial just weeks away, the city of Sanford with a population of about 55,000 will be back in the world spotlight.

A panel of six Sanford residents gathered to share with us how the community has changed

“The biggest fear that I’ve got is that the national media will portray this in a negative way upon this town,” said Sanford business owner Steve Flowers.

Most of the people on the panel agreed with Tracie Flowers, Steve’s wife, that the already negative image stamped on the city of Sanford after the Trayvon Martin shooting doesn’t match up with the city they call home.

“In the evening, I feel comfortable walking to my daughter’s school without any issues,” Tracie said.

The group did acknowledge the people of Sanford do need to come to terms with a racial divide.

Jeff Krall, a pastor, thought the trial might help people move forward.

“I’ve talked to several other leaders, and I actually think it’s a positive thing. One of my concerns is that this would be quickly swept under the rug and this trial keeps the conversation alive,” said Krall.

Historic Goldsboro Museum Executive Director Assistant Cindy Philemon echoed those sentiments.

“It’s healthy because it’s causing us to come together as a community because we all have different communities we live in, but really, we’re one community,” said Philemon. “And we love Sanford, we work in Sanford, we live in Sanford, and we play in Sanford.”

But Chaplain Joe Morales said if the community is going to come together, they have to connect with the city’s younger generation.

“Just work a little more with them and hear them out a little bit. Give them an opportunity to speak and say why this is going on. That would help and start closing that gap of why these kids are reacting this way,” said Morales.

“And raise these youth, just like you are doing and thank you, and raise these youth to see things a little differently,” added Steve Flowers.

“We have to lead by example. If they see us fighting all the time, they’re going to want to fight all the time. We’re trying to resolve the black and the white issue to a family thing and it’s a community thing,” said Philemon.

“I’m hopeful because there’s an honest effort by people of all races, all backgrounds, all ages, to try to work the things out. So, I think we’ll make it, and I think it will be an example to the rest of the country,” said Seminole County teacher Parris Baker.

“We have to keep working this out and I’m encouraged that it’s still with us because the problems and the difficulties we’ve had have been entrenched, and they just don’t go away overnight,” added Krall.

“The nation is watching. I think the best thing we could ever do is let the nation see that we are coming together as black and white, like what we’re doing right now. We’re coming together in peace. So, no matter what the outcome is, we’ve got to stick together,” said Philemon.

This article is a second installment covering the conversation our panel of Sanford residents had discussing the impact of George Zimmerman's trial, which is scheduled to start June 10.