Union Board worked with the Black Law Students Association to bring Wise to IU. Kevin Kenes, director of the Fun and Adventure committee, said Union Board wants to act as a medium for the flow of opinions surrounding Wise’s lecture.
“He speaks about privilege and, more specifically, racial privilege and white privilege,” he said.
Marcus Cooke, the social action chair at the Maurer School of Law, said he wanted Wise’s message to be ?accessible to students.
“He has the unique perspective in that he understands the privileges he has as a white male,” he said.
However, not all students are receptive to his message.
Traditionalist Youth ?Network at IU has planned a demonstration during Wise’s evening lecture.
Thomas Buhls, president of TradYouth at IU, said the organization aims to teach college-aged men and women about the radical traditional school of thought that he and TradYouth stand for as ?students.
Buhls said they adhere to traditional Christian values in Western society, and most members are white ?nationalists.
“We do believe that white people have an identity, that we have legitimate group interests and that we are more than just a proposition nation,” Buhls said. “Tim Wise, he sees fit to spend his professional career tearing all that down.”
Roughly 10 people are expected at the demonstration so far, Buhls said, bearing signs with sayings such as “Tim Wise, Full of Lies.”
“Bloomington, this is our backyard,” Buhls said. “We live here. It’s absolutely ?unthinkable that we would let him come here and spread his lies without opposition.”
Having seen Wise speak before, Buhls said Wise defames and vilifies the values of TradYouth.
“If you asked him what’s the white man got to be proud for, he’ll say, ‘Nothing,’” ?Buhls said.
Kenes said he personally understands the idea of white privilege and the backlash against it.
“Sometimes it’s a tough realization, that a lot of things you achieved in life might not be completely because you worked so hard for them,” he said. “There might be some underlying causes.”
Union Board remains unbiased and welcomes all student opinions, Kenes said, and therefore will not stop a demonstration unless it is disruptive of the event or ?attendees.
“As long as everybody remains peaceful and respective of the speaker, I don’t see why there would be a problem,” ?he said.
Cooke said it was good for organizations like this to bring their voice to the floor.
“It does show that there is a need for this dialogue,” he said. “Race has been a system in the U.S. for 400 years; it’s not going to be eradicated in 50 ... What does need to happen is conversations where everyone’s voice is included.”
Wise will two host lectures today, one at noon in the Maurer School of Law Courtroom and the other at 7 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium at the Indiana Memorial Union. Both lectures are open and free to students and the public. Free tickets are still available for pickup in the Union Board office.
