White Author Shares Personal Race Journey through Personal, Professional Lenses

New Book Details White Man's Life in a Black Family

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, a new book offers a deeply personal and unique look at racism from an unlikely vantage point. In My Black Family, My White Privilege: A White Man's Journey Through the Nation's Racial Minefield, author Michael R. Wenger presents a unique perspective as a Jewish man from New York City who marries an African American woman from the segregated South.

This retrospective work chronicles his 11-year marriage and the evolution of his black family, as well as his work in promoting racial justice, during an historic time of tumult and civil unrest spurred by persistent and widespread racial bias and injustice across the United States.

Mr. Wenger, now a Senior Fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Sociology at The George Washington University, previously served as Deputy Director for Outreach and Program Development for President Clinton's Initiative on Race.

"I have had the privilege of glimpsing a world that is beyond the grasp of most white people, and this book is an attempt to help all of us become more aware of both the pain that well-meaning white Americans inflict on people of color, often without knowing it, and the benefits that await those with the courage to embark on a similar journey," Mr. Wenger said, adding that race continues to divide the nation.

Mr. Wenger's personal experience left a deep imprint on his attitude toward race, and he speaks and writes frequently on issues of race. 

"Racial healing begins with a better understanding between people of different races," according to Mr. Wenger. "I hope by discussing both my personal and professional experiences in this book, it will help bridge some of the racial divides."    

My Black Family, My White Privilege: A White Man's Journey through the Nation's Racial Minefield, easily readable, tenderly written, and thought-provoking, inspires readers to reach beyond their comfort zones on matters of race to move us closer to the "post-racial" society which many seek, but which, even in the wake of President Obama's re-election, remains elusive.  Mr. Wenger's masterful storytelling offers a transparent and intimate look into his unique life and invites readers onto his much storied professional journey.

My Black Family, My White Privilege: A White Man's Journey through the Nation's Racial Minefield is available on Amazon.com here.

*Author is available for  print and broadcast interviews. Please contact Michael K. Frisby,
 202-625-4328 or  [email protected] and Kimberly N. Alleyne, 703-855-9604 or [email protected].

About the Author
Michael R. Wenger, of Mitchellville, Maryland, is a Senior Fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Sociology at The George Washington University.  He served as Deputy Director for Outreach and Program Development for President Clinton's Initiative on Race, and he speaks and writes frequently on issues of race. 

CONTACT:
Michael K. Frisby, 202-625-4328, [email protected]
Kimberly N. Alleyne, 703-855-9604, [email protected]

SOURCE Michael R. Wenger