In this presentation, renowned antiracism educator, Tim Wise, will examine the connections between systemic racism, white racial privilege, and America’s class system, with special attention to the current backlash to racial justice efforts in schools and the workplace since the 2020 racial justice uprising. From the attacks on Critical Race Theory to the banning of school textbooks and curriculum to the ending of affirmative action, Wise will explore how opposition to antiracism has been galvanized and currently threatens the future of a multiracial democracy.

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.

Wise has been featured in several documentaries, including “White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege in America,” which he co-wrote and co-produced and has been called “A phenomenal educational tool in the struggle against racism,” He is also the author of several books, including Dispatches from the Race War and his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son.

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.

Q&A after the presentation followed by book signing by Tim Wise.

The book White Like Me will be available at the event for purchase from the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County (FOLMC) or by visiting https://bookshop.org/shop/folmc

Registration required. Register here.

Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

This Contemporary Conversations program is co-sponsored by Friends of the Library, Montgomery County (FOLMC), Montgomery County Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ), Montgomery County Office of Human Rights (OHR), Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships (OCP) and Classrooms 2 Community (C2C).