Groups are gathering over root beer across Michigan to discuss racial and ethnic diversity.

Events were scheduled for Tuesday in Detroit, Farmington, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Mount Clemens, Mount Pleasant, Saginaw, Traverse City and the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor area.

The events are being organized by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and other groups. Organizers say participants will discuss issues of diversity to build common ground and understanding.

President Barack Obama held a "beer summit" in July after a Cambridge, Mass., police sergeant arrested a prominent African-American scholar at his home, sparking a national debate on race relations.