News & Events Social-Justice Advocate Tim Wise To Speak at Amherst College March 4

February 20, 2004
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.- Tim Wise, social-justice advocate and leading expert on white privilege, will give a talk titled 'But Some of My Best Friends are Black:' Racism and the Culture of Denial on Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. in Johnson Chapel at Amherst College. Sponsored by the Amherst College Diversity Coalition, the lecture is free and open to the public.

Wise is the director of the Association for White Anti-Racist Education (AWARE) in Nashville. He lectures across the country about the need to combat institutional racism, gender bias and the growing gap between rich and poor in the U.S. His columns are regularly distributed by AlterNet and the ZNet commentary program-Web-based services that disseminate essays by prominent progressive thinkers. His writings have appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines throughout the world, as well as a number of scholarly and professional journals. He is the recipient of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition's Social Justice Impact Award and the 2001 British Diversity Award for best feature essay on race and diversity issues.

Wise's talk is co-sponsored by the Association of Amherst Students, Affirmative Action Office, Dean of New Students, Dean of Students, Drew House, Interdepartmental Student Fund, Outreach and Residential Life.

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