There is a widely shared photo from the era of the Nazi 3rd Reich. In it you see everyone ‘heiling’ and saluting to the Führer except for one lone figure.
Often there is a red circle drawn around this person. Pointing out the only person standing against the tide of genocide and authoritarianism.
In Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson opens her book by asking:
“We might feel certain that, were we Aryan citizens under the Third Reich, we surely would have seen through it, would have risen above it like him, been that person resisting authoritarianism and brutality in the face of mass hysteria...But unless people are willing to transcend their fears, endure discomfort and derision, suffer the scorn of loved ones and neighbors and co-workers and friends, fall into disfavor of perhaps everyone they know, face exclusion and even banishment, it would be numerically impossible, humanly impossible, for everyone to be that man. What would it take to be him in any era? What would it take to be him now?”
As Isabel Wilkerson points out, while we all may assert we would be that person, the reality is that “it would be numerically impossible, humanly impossible, for everyone to be that man.”
Isabel Wilkerson’s Book ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents’ provides an opportunity to strive to “be that man.”
If there is one book you plan to read this year, it is my wish that this be amongst your top considerations.
On this week’s episode, I am joined by past guest’s Stacey Cosden and Lloyd Wilkey to discuss and reflect upon Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste.
Together we share with you some of the passages, insights, ahas, and emotions that deeply impacted us.
There is no way we can do the book justice in just 1 hour.
Which is why, once again, I highly encourage you to please buy and read Isabel Wilkerson’s Book “Caste.”
You can do so here.
More About Our Guests:
Stacey Cosden is a Marketing Coach with Tom at T.H.E. Celebration. While she is currently in marketing, she’s spent over 20 years working with the public school system. Through her various roles in the system, Stacey has been an advocate for her community, students and their families, and an activist for reform. Stacey’s true passion is building healthy community that supports marginalized voices.
You can follow Stacey on Instagram here.
Lloyd Wilkey is the founder of the Mindful Policing Project, He is a recognized expert on community/police relations. He facilitates law enforcement training, community dialogues, and engages in activism to advance his concept of Mindful Policing. He advocates for policies and procedures which will result in transparency, accountability, and restorative justice.
You can follow Lloyd here.
