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CORVALLIS - Prominent white anti-racism speaker Tim Wise will address "The Trouble with Tolerance: Taking Positive Steps to Change Inequality," on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at Oregon State University.

Wise's talk, which is free and open to the public, starts at 7 p.m. in OSU's LaSells Stewart Center at 26th Street and Western Boulevard.

Wise is one of the nation's best-known anti-racism speakers, having traveled throughout the United States and lectured on more than 300 college campuses. He has also acted as a consultant and trainer for labor, government, business and law enforcement.

The discussion will focus on Wise's assertion that tolerance is America's favorite word because "it commits us to nothing and means nothing, or at least so little that virtually all can rally under its banner."

Wise has served as adjunct faculty at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, where he worked to train journalists to eliminate racial bias in reporting. He also served as adviser to the Fisk University Race Relations Institute and as associate director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism.

His recent books include "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son," and "Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White." He has contributed essays to 10 books, and is featured in "White Men Challenging Racism: Thirty-Five Personal Stories," from Duke University Press.

Wise has a bachelor's degree in political science from Tulane University, where his anti-apartheid work received international attention and the thanks of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.