Author Isabel Wilkerson says an invisible caste system maintains the racial hierarchy in this country.
It’s a term generally associated with India, a country that has ancient and multi-layered class categories.
Here in the U.S., the history is very different. But author Isabel Wilkerson says when it comes to understanding the oppression of Black people in this country, caste, not racism, is the better word.
Caste, says Wilkerson, is a hierarchy that dictates where people stand in society – who gets access to resources or even the benefit of the doubt.
Isabel Wilkerson’s new book is called “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.”
She is also the author of the “Warmth of Other Suns” and she was the first Black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1994 as the Chicago bureau chief for the New York Times.
As the effects of climate change become increasingly obvious, ideas once thought of as radical are becoming part of the mainstream debate. Cristopher Flavelle of the New York Times explains the promise and perils of geoengineering.
Rethinking leadership in the U.S. African AmericanStudies professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. says Americans have looked to the political class to create a just democracy for too long – and it hasn't worked. In a new book he argues that we are the leaders we have been looking for and explains what that means for the 2024 election.
Menopause. Once a taboo topic, the "m" word is having a moment – among celebrities, in the media, and in Washington, where President Biden recently signed an order that supports research into women's health. Dr. Sharon Malone says it's about time, and explains why understanding "the change" is critical for a woman's ability to get – and stay -- healthy.
Donald Trump regularly ends his rallies with prayer. He has repeatedly compared himself to Jesus. And last week he started selling a version of the Bible. Robert P. Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute weighs in on Trump’s growing embrace of Christianity.