Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action

May 15 (Sun) – 11:30 am

Robert Jensen on “What Does It Mean to Be a Human Being?”

The Mistaken Identities of Nation/Race/Gender

Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4700 Grover Ave., Austin 78756

University of Texas Professor Robert Jensen will be the speaker in the First Unitarian Universalist Church Public Affairs Forum.  In his talk, Jensen will examine how nation, race, and gender affect our understanding of ourselves, with a focus on the unjust systems of power and privilege in which they are embedded. In each case he argues against the dominant culture’s ideology and for a radical politics that takes seriously not only political but ecological realities.

May 22 (Sun), 12:15 pm

Screening of video of Tim Wise talk on illusions of “post-racial” politics

Location: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Drive (exit off I-35, west on Wells Branch Parkway)

In February, author Tim Wise spoke in Austin about his 2010 book, Color Blind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity. This program will screen the video of that talk, followed by a discussion.

Wise is a frequent speaker on campuses across the country and a regular commentator in mainstream media. His other books include: Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama; White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son; Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White; and Speaking Treason Fluently: Anti-Racist Reflections From an Angry White Male.

The talk, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Social Justice Committee at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. For more information, contact Robert Jensen at 471-1990 or rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu.