
America's Caste System

Civil rights activists are blocked by National Guardsmen brandishing bayonets while trying to stage a protest on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. The marching demonstrators are also flanked by tanks. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive hide caption
Civil rights activists are blocked by National Guardsmen brandishing bayonets while trying to stage a protest on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. The marching demonstrators are also flanked by tanks.
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive"Race" is often used as a fundamental way to understand American history. But what if "caste" is the more appropriate lens? In conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson, we examine the hidden system that has shaped our country.
This episode kicks off our August series of teacher-curated Throughline episodes.
If you would like to learn more about the topic:
- Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
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