Anti-racism activist debunks reverse discrimination
VALPARAISO | An anti-racism activist and author blasted the notion of discrimination against whites during a speech recently at Valparaiso University.
Tim Wise, who trains organizations and law enforcement personnel on how to fight racism, spoke Thursday at an event sponsored by the VU Law School, Office of Multicultural Programs and Office of the Provost.
Wise said the idea of reverse discrimination is not new and dates back to just after the Civil War, when President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, saying it gave blacks preferential treatment over whites.
In the modern era, whites have claimed reverse discrimination in higher education and employment, but many of those claims are found to be invalid, Wise said.
While there are individual cases of reverse discrimination, it's not a widespread phenomenon, he said.
I'm not saying it never happens, but to elevate it to the level of a social problem seems disingenuous, Wise said.
Wise said blacks and Latinos combined only represent about 13 percent of students at the 140 most selective colleges and universities in the United States.
If you didn't get into Yale, it wasn't because of a black person, he said.
When it comes to today's job market, it's who you know, rather than what you know. Half of jobs are being filled by people who were recommended by someone connected with the company, Wise said.
This practice benefits people who know others in the pipeline, which is disproportionately white, male, older and richer, he said.
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Anti-racism activist debunks reverse discrimination