Tim Wise, well-known author and expert on issues of systemic racism, racial equity, and social justice, delivered the fifth annual Agosto Lecture Oct. 13 at South Texas College of Law Houston.
Addressing an audience of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, he discussed power, culture, justice, and the path forward as it regards race.
Wise’s high energy talk was often humorous, sometimes edgy, and filled with historical information, social science research data, and personal experiences. He encouraged the audience to remain aware of various kinds of inequity — and to recall that we are all human.
“The one thing that separates us from all the other species is that I’m able to see me in you and you in me,” Wise said. “I believe we should treat all other humans as worthy of life and dignity. It seems that is one job we have as humans who can think in abstract ways and create complex and just societies.”
Wise also called everyone — especially the future lawyers — to be aware of what they can do to make a difference.
“We’re going to deal with a lot of pain and a lot of setbacks in working for justice,” Wise said. “But what I know is that however much pain we will experience fighting for what’s right — and maybe losing — is infinitely less than the pain we will experience if we do not fight for what we believe is right. So, given the choice between the possibility of justice and the guarantee of injustice, I will roll the dice and take a chance on hope.”
At the event, a father asked what he could tell his young daughter about ways to make a difference.
“I think all the steps we take as individuals — the small steps — become big when they join with the small steps of others,” Wise said. “First, it’s important to accept that. I think the mistake we sometimes make when we seek to challenge injustice is thinking we have to make these huge steps, and none of us can do that alone.”
He noted that the work may come in many forms. “It may be in the legal work you do or in other forms of advocacy. It might be in the narratives and stories you tell to friends, colleagues, and family members, or in the connections we make beyond work — church, professional networks, extended family — all the places where we might be able to influence the way people think.”
Wise said people sometimes think, “What does it matter? But maybe we change one person’s mind, and that one person changes someone else’s mind… who changes someone else’s mind… who changes someone else’s mind. So don’t ever think anything you do is too small — and don’t do what you do alone. If you work in isolation, perhaps it won’t amount to much. But connect with other people in the doing of it, and I think that that’s where you’ll start to see real traction.”
Wise is the author of nine books, including his latest, Dispatches from the Race War, as well as his highly acclaimed memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son. His work has made him a frequent contributor to conversations about race in national media, including appearances on CNN and MSNBC.
Presented by the law school’s Agosto Justice Center for Leadership and Empowerment, the annual Agosto Lecture brings prominent voices to the law school to address important issues of public interest and encourage thoughtful discussion among students, faculty, legal professionals, and the broader community.
“When I sat in these same chairs in law school, I could not have imagined being in this hall decades later and listening to these enlightening words,” said Benny Agosto, Jr. ’95. “We may not all agree with everything said in an Agosto Lecture, but we are challenged to think and reflect. The Agosto Justice Center — with this valuable lecture series — is a dream come true.”
