The department of Diversity and Affirmative Action and the Great Issues Committee (GIC) has invited social activist Tim Wise to speak to the Saint Louis University community at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28 in the Wool Ballroom in the BSC.
Wise will present a discussion regarding how ignoring race deepens the racial divide in society.
“It is hard to be candid when talking about race, unless you create a safe environment for it and bring these issues to light in the correct manner, which I think Tim Wise will do,” Colin Shevlin, chair of the GIC, said. “Race is a very sensitive subject for people for obvious reasons, and so people often don’t want to be offensive and don’t want to be offended in discussions about race.”
Shevlin said that Wise’s address applies to the Jesuit mission of the University of being men and women for others, a mission that the GIC incorporates through all of their guest speakers.
“You can’t be a man or woman for others if you don’t understand others or understand where people are coming from,” Shevlin said. “I think that in shaping men and women for and with others, you need an understanding of the community that you are in.”
Wise is an antiracist essayist, author and educator, and has spoken at several colleges and universities across the nation. He is the author of Color Blind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity.
In Color Blind, which is also available as a lecture on DVD, Wise addresses the issue of “illuminated individualism” in which society acknowledges the diverse identities that shape perceptions of race.
Shevlin said that a racial divide at the University is prevalent, but attributes the separation to human nature and lack of activism to address it.
“People contribute to [the racial divide] whether they want to or not. I think that people unconsciously form cliques with like-minded people, and I think that is just a human inclination that people have,” Shevlin said.
Shevlin said that if you asked students if they wanted a racial divide to exist, the overwhelming majority of students would most likely say no.
“It’s something that you have to work at and actively avoid,” Shevlin said, encouraging students to attend the presentation. “I hope students are made aware of the human inclination to categorize based on appearances and I hope that students try to understand the identities of people with a different background, rather than just dismiss or stereotype them or try to ignore a very fundamental point of their identity.”
Wise will be available to sign copies of Color Blind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity directly following the presentation. Tickets are not required, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
