Wise, Tim | SpeakOut

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Biography

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Civil Rights Movement

Economy/Economic Visions

Electoral Politics

Faculty/Staff Development

First Year Read Programs

Leadership

Multiculturalism

NCORE 2022

Programs for High School Students

Racism/Racial Justice

Resiliency/Healing

Summer Institute Instructors

U.S. History

White Privilege

Youth/Student Activism

Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States. He has spent the past 25 years speaking to audiences in all 50 states, on over 1500 college and high school campuses, at hundreds of professional and academic conferences, and to community groups across the country.

Wise has also trained corporate, government, entertainment, media, law enforcement, military, and medical industry professionals on methods for dismantling racial inequity in their institutions, and has provided anti-racism training to educators and administrators nationwide and internationally, in Canada and Bermuda.

Wise is the author of nine books, including his latest, Dispatches from the Race War (City Lights Books). Other books include Under the Affluence, Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority and Colorblind (all from City Lights Books); his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, (recently updated and re-released by Soft Skull Press); Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White; Speaking Treason Fluently: Anti-Racist Reflections From an Angry White Male; and Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama.

Named one of “25 Visionaries Who are Changing Your World,” by Utne Reader, Wise has contributed chapters or essays to over 25 additional books and his writings are taught in colleges and universities across the nation. His essays have appeared on Alternet, Salon, Huffington Post, Counterpunch, The Root, Black Commentator, BK Nation and Z Magazine among other popular, professional and scholarly journals.

From 1999-2003, Wise was an advisor to the Fisk University Race Relations Institute, in Nashville, and in the early ’90s he was Youth Coordinator and Associate Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism: the largest of the many groups organized for the purpose of defeating neo-Nazi political candidate, David Duke.

Wise has been featured in several documentaries, including two from the Media Education Foundation. “White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege in America,” which he co-wrote and co-produced, has been called “A phenomenal educational tool in the struggle against racism,” and “One of the best films made on the unfinished quest for racial justice,” by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva of Duke University, and Robert Jensen of the University of Texas, respectively. "The Great White Hoax: Donald Trump & the Politics of Race & Class in America" features Wise explores how American political leaders of both parties have been tapping into white anxiety, stoking white grievance, and scapegoating people of color for decades to divide and conquer working class voters and shore up political support.

Wise also appears alongside legendary scholar and activist, Angela Davis, in the 2011 documentary, “Vocabulary of Change.” In this public dialogue between the two activists, Davis and Wise discussed the connections between issues of race, class, gender, sexuality and militarism, as well as inter-generational movement building and the prospects for social change. More recently, he appeared in Chelsea Handler's Netflix documentary Hello Privilege, It’s Me Chelsea on white privilege and racism in the United States.

Wise appears regularly on CNN and MSNBC to discuss race issues and was featured in a 2007 segment on 20/20. He graduated from Tulane University in 1990 and received antiracism training from the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, in New Orleans. He is also the host of the podcast, Speak Out with Tim Wise.

Testimonials

"Tim‘s presentations were absolutely amazing. People from our campus community and the community at large are still talking about it. Like the after effects of an earthquake, his presence and words were so powerful that we are still experiencing tremors."

— LaVada Taylor, Associate Professor of Education, Purdue University Northwest, IN

“Tim Wise is a vanilla brother in the tradition of (antiracism and antislavery fighter) John Brown."

— Cornel West, philosopher and author

"Your presentation changed minds, and strengthened others in their commitment to leading antiracist lives. You are a role model to white students and evidence to students of color that whites can see their privilege and work against it."

— Arlene Avakian, Professor of Women's Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Having seen probably 1000 campus presentations over the years, I can unequivocally say that (Tim's) was the most thoughtful, enriching and empathetic I have ever seen...his extemporaneous nuanced responses to the audience were profound and life-altering."

— Bradley J. Davis, President, West Valley College, Saratoga CA

“The fate of this country depends on whites like yourself speaking the truth to those who don't want to hear it. In this, you are as one with the Biblical prophets. You are more likely to be condemned than lauded, and yet your words are no less important. So, keep speaking out. At the very least, some future archeologists sifting through the ashes of this civilization may be able to find evidence that there were some who offered truth as a cure for the disease that destroyed us.”

— Derrick Bell, Professor of Law, New York University, and one of the world’s leading scholars on race and the legal system, as well as best-selling author of author of several books on race

“Tim Wise is one of those rare ‘public intellectuals’ that numerous authors have suggested are becoming extinct in this society. He is evidence that this is not the case…in my judgment, he is the very best of the white anti-racism writers and commentators working in the U.S. media today…”

— Joe Feagin, Graduate Research Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M, and an award-winning author of over twenty books on race and racism issues

“...One of the most prolific speakers I’ve encountered. I heard students proclaim that Tim’s presentation changed their attitudes and helped them make a commitment to get involved with changing the system.”

— Elva Jones, Director of Diversity, Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, NE

"Thank you for all of your help in getting Tim here to Pittsburgh! His delivery and story telling made his message so easy to understand, helped folks identify biases they may have, and what impact these biases have on students. I believe that our students/families will forever benefit from our faculty having had this experience. We look forward to continuing the conversation that Tim started."
— Kelly Maddox, Communications Assistant, Falk Laboratory School, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

“Tim joined our faculty virtually and did an outstanding job outliningg that we are in the middle of the largest racial justice uprising in history. He offered context and clarity on the importance of the moment that was accessible to the entire faculty. He gave us tangible take aways for us to implement with our students. He spoke brilliantly for over an hour, with great enthusiasm and grace because he included and invited everyone to engage with the material in a safe way. The faculty felt empowered and energized to take his messages back to our students. He was simply amazing!”

— Beth Krasemann, Suffield Academy, CT

Speeches

The Normalization of Hate, from David Duke to Tucker Carlson: How White Supremacist Thinking Went from the Margins to the Mainstream
In this presentation, Wise examines how overt racism has increasingly penetrated American political discourse and has contributed to terrorist violence, most recently in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Charlottesville, El Paso and Charleston. Having begun his career in the campaigns to defeat Neo-Nazi David Duke in his runs for political office, Wise has been a witness to a 30-year process of radicalization on the right, and can speak directly to how racist dog-whistles—long a staple in American politics—became full-fledged bullhorns. What were once extreme views—about immigration, for instance—are now expressed nightly on Fox News and echoed by prominent right-wing leaders from Donald Trump to Congresspersons to pundits like Tucker Carlson. And as many as a third of Americans, and half of Republicans, now say they believe some politicians are deliberately trying to “replace” white Americans with immigrants of color for political gain—the very theory that animated the recent terrorist attacks. In this speech, Wise explore the reasons for the growth and effectiveness of racist appeals, their likely consequences, and how we might push back against the mainstreaming of hate and stave off further disaster.

The Attack on Critical Race Theory — What’s It Really About?
In this presentation, Wise examines the recent attacks on anti-racist education and the real motivations behind them. Although those leading the attack claim they are simply pushing back against “Critical Race Theory” — which they claim is anti-white and suggests America is an evil nation — CRT teaches no such things, and isn’t actually being taught in K-12 schools to begin with. When we examine what books and lessons the right is seeking to ban — including children’s books about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks — it becomes clear: this isn’t about stopping “radical” ideas from being taught; it’s about whitewashing history. As Wise demonstrates, this assault on truth is about three things: seeking to stem support for the movement for racial justice and Black lives, seeking to blame the victims of racial injustice for their position in American society, and undermining support for public education itself.

Beyond Diversity: Steps for Uprooting Racism, Privilege and Institutional Inequity
[Note: This can be done as a workshop or as a lecture presentation followed by Q & A.]
In this session, Tim will explore the causes -- both formal and informal -- for institutional racial inequities. By examining the various policies, practices, and procedures that exist within educational, employment, and organizational settings -- and which often inadvertently perpetuate unequal opportunity and treatment -- participants can develop strategies for shifting their institutional cultures in the direction of greater parity. This session can be tailored specifically for educators (at the primary, secondary or higher ed level), businesses, non-profits, government agencies, or religious bodies, as desired. Among the topics that can be explored in this session are:
• The difference between individual bias and institutional bias
• The sources of internalized supremacy/oppression and how these can manifest in all of us
• Privilege as the flipside of oppression
• Stereotype Vulnerability and Racial Performance Gaps - The Hidden Key to Disparities
• The harms of inequity for all members of an institution, including dominant group members
• Strategies for creating equity in the classroom, workspace, and throughout our institutions

DEI or DOA? How To Move Beyond Window-Dressing to Achieve Institutional Equity
In this presentation, Wise examines DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts in educational, government, and/or corporate settings, and how those efforts either support real change or perpetuate institutional inequity. As he explains in this speech, much of what gets done under the rubric of DEI doesn’t challenge fundamental cultural norms or practices that contribute to inequity, rendering DEI efforts DOA (Dead on Arrival), regardless of the good intentions of those charged with implementing them. Until those structural impediments to change are explored and altered, institutions are setting up their DEI officers for failure, letting down their employees, staff and/or students of color, and doing real damage to the cause of justice. Wise will provide examples of structural changes and institutional norms that promote equity, so that participants can walk away with tangible ideas on how to move real DEI work forward.

Anti-Racism is Not a Self-Help Movement: Moving From Individual Analysis to Systemic Change
In this presentation, Wise explores contemporary anti-racism analysis and “activism,” and critiques the way both have developed since the killing of George Floyd. From implicit bias training to workshops on white privilege and fragility, too much of the work has focused on whites as individuals — fixing their biases, checking their privileges, and challenging their fragility — rather than creating policies, practices, and procedures in schools, non-profits, and corporate settings that will produce greater racial equity. While understanding implicit bias, privilege and fragility can be helpful as a first step, it remains too easy to get stuck at that level, never moving on to explore systemic change. In this speech, Wise discusses how to bring a systemic lens to our anti-racism, so as to avoid merely individualizing and “psychologizing” anti-racism work, ultimately turning it into just another self-help movement, rather than a movement for justice.

STEM is Not Enough: Equity and the Importance of MESH Education (Media Literacy, Ethics, Sociology, and History)
In this bold presentation, Wise explores the current push for STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), both in general and for students of color and women, and critiques the single minded focus on these subjects at the expense of comprehensive civics education. As he explains, science and technical skills, absent an understanding of history, group power dynamics (which are explored in sociology), ethics and media literacy will produce a society of coders and engineers but very few people who have what it takes to build and maintain a multicultural, pluralistic democracy. Equity and democracy, after all, don’t come with phone Apps or simple mathematical equations. They require an informed citizenry with the historical memory and ethical grounding needed to produce justice. In fact, even the STEM disciplines need a MESH filter, given the way in which science and technology have been weaponized in history against marginalized populations. In this presentation, Wise examines the problems with STEM, the necessity of MESH, and how schools can ensure a proper balance between them, for the benefit of all.

Tim Wise can also tailor presentations to focus on topics like race and education, race and health care, race and the legal system, among others.
Contact SpeakOut for details.

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