Tim Wise is among the nation's most prominent anti-racist educators and authors.  He has spent the past 30 years lecturing on matters of racism and racial bias in all 50 states, on over 1,500 college campuses, at hundreds of professional and academic conferences, and to corporate, non-profit, and community groups throughout North America.

He is the author of eight books, including his highly acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, and his latest essay collection, Dispatches from the Race War. He has contributed essays or chapters to 25 additional volumes, and his writings have appeared in dozens of popular magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals.

Wise is a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and NPR, and his speeches have been viewed over 30 million times on various social media platforms.

Wise has served as adjunct faculty at the Smith College School for Social Work and was the 2008 Oliver L. Brown Distinguished Visiting Scholar for Diversity Issues at Washburn University, in Topeka, Kansas. He has served on the advisory boards of the Fisk University Race Relations Institute, the African American Policy Forum, and the National League of Cities' Racial Equity and Leadership Team.

He graduated from Tulane University in 1990 and received anti-racism training from the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, both in New Orleans. And he is the host of the podcast Speak Out with Tim Wise. 

Key Takeaways

• Woke is being aware of ongoing systemic injustice and being concerned about altering it

  
  



• Racism is a systemic force and not about “good” or “bad” people

  
  



• Building a collaborative space requires constantly checking in with the things you don’t know — ask questions that make space for others’ perspectives

  
  



• Some of the most radical anti-racism work is listening and supporting the needs of Black people so they can organize and lead

  
  



• When you mess up, sit with the criticism, acknowledge your wrongdoing, apologize and keep moving forward

  
  



• Keep holding truth to power so you understand how and why racism works in America today, then you can reconcile with your community

  
  



• Authenticity is acknowledging that we are all people caught in a bad system: will you change the system or will the system change you?

  
  

Guest’s Media Recommendations:

• Any work by James Baldwin (books and essays)

  
  

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Find Guest’s work:

• Tim’s website: https://www.speakoutnow.org/speakers/tim-wise

  
  

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For more of Michael’s work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay

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Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify.

Editing and co-production of this podcast by Emma Yarger.

Email info@incognitotheplay.com with questions or comments about the show!