Implicit Bias & Fringe Benefits of White

Service Description

Implicit bias and the fringe benefits of whiteness infect most classrooms and campuses. This two-part workshop (morning and afternoon sessions required) will examine how these aspects can lead to the unequal treatment, often unintentional, of campus community members.  In the second workshop, attendees will explore ways to drive change in counteracting unequal treatment and creating an atmosphere in which both students and faculty act in ways that reflect their deep appreciation for our common humanity. Michael R. Wenger is adjunct faculty in the Department of Sociology at The George Washington University, where he teaches classes on race relations and institutional racism. He also serves as a senior consultant on race relations with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, providing guidance on the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation effort of the Foundation (TRHT). He has made numerous presentations on TRHT and facilitated racial healing circles at the conferences of several large organizations, including many academic organizations. For sixteen years, Mr. Wenger served at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the nation's pre-eminent research and public policy analysis institution focused on issues of race. Mr. Wenger was also Deputy Director for Outreach and Program Development for President Clinton's Initiative on Race. He was responsible for the development and implementation of programs aimed to broaden public support for President Clinton's vision of One America in the 21st Century--a more just, inclusive and unified America that offers opportunity and fairness for all Americans. Mr. Wenger was also previously a States’ Washington Representative for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). In that capacity he represented the Governors of the 13 Appalachian states on policy matters related to the economic development work of the ARC. His memoir, My Black Family, My White Privilege: A White Man's Journey Through the Nation's Racial Minefield, was published in November, 2012. It describes his experiences as a white man from New York City married to an African American woman from rural North Carolina, integrates his personal experiences with his professional insights, and shares the lessons he has learned about race as a result of his journey. He also co-authored Window Pane Stories: Vignettes to Help You Look At and Beyond Your Experiences, a frequent speaker on race relations, and the author of numerous articles on race relations.

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