Executive Director Book club

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

9/9/22 Discussion of Book Club Goals and Chapter 1

We hope this will be about working through issues together. 

To grow and overcome destructive systemic patterns, it is important to diagnose the problem - to “peel the onion” and assess the power structure in actuality, to differentiate between the symptoms and the problems.

What is racism and what is ignorance? What comes from lack of exposure? [Mis]education? 

People in the middle class want to preserve and sustain the caste system because they can see the possibility of earning their way to the top, and they already are better off than the bottom. 

The caste system economically benefits the higher level people. What is the relationship between race, ethnicity and socio-economic status?

Here’s a contradiction: we as a country love the underdog story… but not really. Plenty of underdogs don’t get any support or credit.

White people have been reacting to current events: “I didn't know it was this bad.” People of color respond: “It’s always been this bad.”

Had there not been a lockdown and social media, would George Floyd’s murder video have been so impactful? Everyone was watching. When Rodney King was murdered the video was more limited and some held a belief that there must have been a provocation earlier.

The white police officer didn’t think there was going to be a problem kneeling on a man’s neck while obviously being recorded. This reflects his privilege - race and class.

In the first chapter, the anthrax/permafrost story was a good way to disarm defensive readers and a good analogy for intrinsic racism.