White Speaker Tells College Crowd: White America is 'Racist'
Grant Van Eck
Issue date: 4/3/06 Section: News
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He's a privileged white boy who harbors anti-black prejudices and whose family benefited largely because they're white.
Those are some of the harsh words that author Tim Wise had to say. About himself.
Speaking before a crowd at the Essex County College Mary Burch Theater on March 29, the self-proclaimed anti-racism activist detailed how "white privilege" and white supremacy have been systematically molded into America.
His lecture looked at recent events in New Orleans as well as racism in employment, the prison system and the racial prejudices rooted in anti-drug law enforcement - all topics he covers in his book, "White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son."
"The ninth ward of New Orleans was 98 percent black but only 8 percent received federal aid in cash payments, which is hardly enough to live on," he said.
"It's horrible that journalists spread stereotypes that these victims are lazy when they are not."
For Wise, the cause of these racial problems in America is "institutionalized white supremacy embedded in the structure of our nation."
"These people [white Americans] are born on third base and they think they hit a triple, when in fact they just inherited their status," he said.
Wise, however, remains optimistic that racist practices can be challenged. After all, his other job is training employers and journalists on how to eliminate racism from their hiring processes, work environments and depiction of minorities in the media.
To many in attendance at the ECC lecture, what Wise was preaching wasn't news.
"Most of what he said I already know," said ECC student Sahr Sansi, who is black.
To others, his message was welcomed anyway.
"It's a fine example that a white person could find and study problems black people have faced all along," said Stacy Lambert, an ECC student who's also black.
"I've never heard anything like that before. Coming from Newark, it was enlightening," said Denise Young, a black woman and ECC graduate.
When Wise took questions from the audience, someone asked, "Do you have any white friends?"
His answer: "Yes."
Those are some of the harsh words that author Tim Wise had to say. About himself.
Speaking before a crowd at the Essex County College Mary Burch Theater on March 29, the self-proclaimed anti-racism activist detailed how "white privilege" and white supremacy have been systematically molded into America.
His lecture looked at recent events in New Orleans as well as racism in employment, the prison system and the racial prejudices rooted in anti-drug law enforcement - all topics he covers in his book, "White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son."
"The ninth ward of New Orleans was 98 percent black but only 8 percent received federal aid in cash payments, which is hardly enough to live on," he said.
"It's horrible that journalists spread stereotypes that these victims are lazy when they are not."
For Wise, the cause of these racial problems in America is "institutionalized white supremacy embedded in the structure of our nation."
"These people [white Americans] are born on third base and they think they hit a triple, when in fact they just inherited their status," he said.
Wise, however, remains optimistic that racist practices can be challenged. After all, his other job is training employers and journalists on how to eliminate racism from their hiring processes, work environments and depiction of minorities in the media.
To many in attendance at the ECC lecture, what Wise was preaching wasn't news.
"Most of what he said I already know," said ECC student Sahr Sansi, who is black.
To others, his message was welcomed anyway.
"It's a fine example that a white person could find and study problems black people have faced all along," said Stacy Lambert, an ECC student who's also black.
"I've never heard anything like that before. Coming from Newark, it was enlightening," said Denise Young, a black woman and ECC graduate.
When Wise took questions from the audience, someone asked, "Do you have any white friends?"
His answer: "Yes."