Ally Conference, anti-racism activist coming soon

GREEN BAY — The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s American Intercultural Center will host a prominent anti-racism writer and activist at its first ever Ally Conference on Friday, Nov. 7.

Tim Wise has spoken in 48 states and on more than 400 college campuses, and conducted training sessions for students, teachers, corporate and government officials, the media and law enforcement officers on methods he describes as necessary to “uproot institutional racism.”

Wise is the author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son, a book that takes a provocative look at the concept of white privilege and institutional racism. Wise argues that racial privilege shapes the lives of most white Americans — whether they hold racist views themselves or not — to the detriment of people of color, themselves and society. His brutally direct lectures have drawn large crowds as he challenges audiences to confront issues of race.

Organizers say the Nov. 7 workshops and Wise’s keynote presentation will provide a safe environment for participants to explore social issues that affect different student populations, including issues related to gender, race, disabilities and the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) community. They say the conference will empower student participants to strive for change and allyship. An “ally” is described as “a person who recognizes they are on the privilege side of a particular prejudice/oppression divide that society creates and actively engages in the search and implementation of strategies to dismantle that divide.”

The conference and workshops are free to UW-Green Bay students and open to the public for $15.

Workshops are held in the University Union and a dinner will be served in the Ecumenical Center, both on the UW-Green Bay campus, 2420 Nicolet Drive.

The conference runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7. Pre-registration is required by Tuesday, Oct. 21, and is available online at http://www.uwgb.edu/aic/ally.

For more information, call the UW-Green Bay American Intercultural Center at (920) 465-2720.

The conference is sponsored by the American Intercultural Center, the Office of Student Life, the UW-Green Bay Diversity Task Force and the Social Change and Development, Women’s Studies, Psychology and Human Development academic units. Harmony Café, a program of Goodwill, is a community partner with the conference and will supply organic coffee and baked goods during the workshops.
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