Jackson Katz speaks during the morning chapel program at the McCallie School on Thursday, Apr. 7, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist, internationally renowned for his pioneering scholarship and activism on issues of gender and violence. More Info
For more information on Jackson Katz and his work visit www.jacksonkatz.com
Speaking up against sexism and violence makes you a man, Jackson Katz told an auditorium full of boys dressed in ties and khakis.
Katz, speaking at The McCallie School on Thursday, said a sign of true strength is not tolerating or turning a blind eye to men who treat each other and women negatively.
"It's not easy speaking up, I'm not saying it is," Katz said. "Saying something takes a lot of guts. It takes a lot of strength."
But, by staying silent, the destructive behavior continues, Katz said. He's an author and cultural theorist who is internationally renowned for his pioneering scholarship and activism on issues of gender and violence.
He explained to the boys what he calls the "bystander approach," which involves speaking up against the actions of other men and not remaining passive.
"Isn't your silence a form of consent and complicity in their sexism?" he asked those filling the school's chapel.
Katz told the boys that women have been leaders for many decades on issues of violence and sexism, and that men are just starting to engage in these conversations.
"We need a lot more men - brave men - to speak out about this topic," he said.
Katz said women are not the root cause of sexual violence, adding that he has spent decades working to find ways to do more than label men as predators and perpetrators and trying to find ways to help them prevent violence from occurring.
He said a bystander is anyone from a friend to a teammate to a classmate or a coworker, and a cultural shift can happen and violence can be prevented if men and boys aren't afraid to call derogatory behavior toward women wrong.
Looking out over the sea of middle and high school boys, Katz reminded them of the privilege and opportunity McCallie offers them, urging them to use it for good and take it seriously.
Following his talk, Katz stood on stage and shook hands and answered questions about masculinity. He listened as boys told him about the difficulties they've experienced speaking up against their friends.
McCallie Headmaster Lee Burns III said he admires Katz's work and thinks it's important for the students to hear him speak.
"We want to make sure boys have healthy and wholesome views of masculinity," Burns said. "I think it's important for boys to think about their beliefs and attitudes now."
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.
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