Racial Justice Series #4 - Caste: Purity v. Pollution

Purity v. Pollution Over the centuries, the dominant caste has taken extreme measures to protect its sanctity from the perceived taint of the lower castes. Dalits were required to wear bells to alert those deemed above them so as not to pollute them with their presence. In Florida, books for Black and White children could not even be stored together.

Pittsburgh Freethought Community and Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh are co-sponsoring a weekly discussion based on the new book by Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. There will be eight sessions, each focusing on one of the eight Pillars of Caste which Wilkerson identified by researching commonalities among the Hindu caste system in India, Anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, and Anti-Black racism in the U.S. Each session will begin with a brief explanation of the selected Pillar and a discussion focusing on how these characteristics are manifested in our society and how we can dismantle those policies and practices that maintain White supremacy. It will not be necessary to have read the book in order to participate. Sessions will be held October 11, 18, 25, November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29. Please register for each session individually.