Review of Caste: The origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson Rating *****
I first became aware of our nation’s systemic racism after the election of Barak Obama. I always believed that racism was an issue with a small population of extremists. I know now that the problem is much larger than that. I’ve since educated myself on the issue through documentaries and books like, Just Mercy, Never Caught, The Last Slave Ship, Wilmington’s Lie, and many others. The book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson walks the reader through our shameful past while also highlighting other caste systems throughout history.
While I don’t doubt that the author has witnessed and experienced caste personally, she is also guilty of seeing every sleight as an example of caste. If I say that I support the people of Palestine, that doesn’t make me an antisemite. Every time a black person does not get a promotion or a job, it isn’t necessarily an example of caste at play. I’ll give two examples taken from the book. The first involves the case of Travon Martin. The author uses this case as an example of the unfairness of our justice system and uses it along with other stories of injustice involving white men getting away with murder against black people. The problem is that the story told in the media and elsewhere that Travon Martin was profiled, followed, and shot, and the guy who shot him got off, is not entirely accurate. It started with an inaccurate image of a Travon Martin as a young teenager wearing a hoodie. That image of Travon was not representative of who he was at the time of his death. If you examine the facts without a preconceived notion of racial bias, you will see that the person screaming for his life was not Travon but the person who shot him. It changes everything about that story.
The second example involves a female police officer who shot and killed a black man inside his own apartment. The author uses the case to show how the sentence she received seemed out of line for the offense. But the author failed to highlight some important factors in the case, such as the role that fatigued played and the fact that her neighbor’s apartment had the exact same layout as hers. It was a tragic accident that should not have happened, and the officer was convicted of murder, but it’s not a good example to use when talking about caste, for a number of reasons. A better and more recent example of caste is the case of the Ahmaud Arbery, the 25‑year‑old Black man who was pursued, confronted, and fatally shot by three white men in Georgia in 2020.
The book Caste was originally published in 2020, so it could not have foretold the events of the 2024 election and the attacks against DEI that followed. I bring this up because DEI was and is an effective way to battle racial inequities. It’s unfortunate that so many businesses, corporations, and universities succumbed to the pressure to do away with DEI. I worked as a pilot in the airline industry. Without airlines making a concerted effort to hire minorities and women, airlines would be piloted only by white men. Many people don’t realize how life‑changing it can be for a young girl or Black child to see someone like themselves in the cockpit. It lets them know that they too can achieve their dreams.
A friend of mine, who I first met when he was a captain and I was a first officer, and who also happens to be Black, was approached by a young Black man working the ramp who wanted tips on how to become a pilot. My friend didn’t just give out a few words of advice; he took him under his wing and guided him for several years following that first meeting. That ramper is now a captain for Delta Airlines. Change is possible.