Racial Justice Series - Caste #8 Superiority v. Inferiority

#8 Inherent Superiority versus Inherent Inferiority

At every turn, the caste system drilled into the people under its spell the deference due to those born to the upper caste and the degradation befitting the subordinate caste. This required signs and symbols and customs to elevate the upper caste and to demean those assigned to the bottom, in small and large ways and in everyday encounters.

Isabel Wilkerson

Pittsburgh Freethought Community, First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, and Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh are co-sponsoring weekly discussions 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, 22 and December 6, 13, and 20. Please register for each session individually.