If you read this book, you will see the underlying power structure everywhere you go. You will also see why the hard right wing conservatives are working long and hard to undermine every bit of the rights that have been hard won for immigrants, POC and women over our lifetimes. Did I mention I recommend this book. The world could be a better place if more people read it and became aware of and changed this caste system in America.
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson: 9780593230275 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
A Dalit feminist reflects on how different causes (from Dalit to Palestinian) are deeply intertwined due to resistance against targeted, systemic, & intergenerational oppression.
" Transformational solidarity is .. the quiet, consistent work of education, of unlearning centuries-old prejudices. Most critically, it is relearning history from the perspectives of those who systematically continue to be silenced and erased. "
"Dalit Dreamlands: Towards an Anti-Caste Future - a landmark multimedia Dalit art exhibition and dance party that will bring together over 30 multiply marginalized artists from Dalit*, Adivasi*, Bahujan*, Afro-Indian, Indo-Fijiian, Indo-Caribbean, and Muslim communities to showcase the depths of creativity and community."
After posting publicly on #SocialMedia since 2007, today I reached a milestone: a rando on the internet asserted that I was a #Dalit (i.e. “an untouchable” of the #Hindu#caste system).
State benefits doled on caste lines are also leading to ‘caste ferocity’ in society: Madras High Court
Justice Anita Sumanth, in her observations in the case relating to the Sanatana Dharma row, said the ancient Varna Dharma propounded caste divisions only on the basis of avocation and not birth; she emphasised that caste inequities that exist today must be eradicated.
As Rahul Gandhi asks Bahujans what is their share in power, he is speaking more and more like Kanshiram. This is a triumph of the anti-caste movement and the narrative it has created.
Ambedkarite activists have long been saying that Hindu nationalism can only be undercut by talking about caste inequalities. Gandhi seems to be following that precept. #India#caste
My second book giveaway of February. The winner, drawn at random from social media “likes” to this post and other posts across numerous social media platforms, will be announced on Saturday (Feb 10). Good luck! #book#books#caste#origin#originmovie#Mastodon#BlackMastodon🖤🙏🏿
Last boost (courtesy of @kavana) reminded me of this book which I just finished. Written during the pandemic, it's a humorous but not unserious tale of a woman who takes inspiration from the true story of Phulan Devi, the Dalit girl who went from exploited victim of abuse to vengeful goddess to politician within a few short decades. Definitely recommend.
Challenging this agenda will mean condemning efforts to brand anti-Hindutva as discriminatory and compassion for Hindus who face religious marginalisation.
Supreme Court Issues Notice on PIL Filed By The Wire Reporter on Caste-Based Prison Rules
Prison manuals in India continue to retain unconstitutional caste-based labour rules. The Wire's series on prisons, which was the basis of the PIL filed in the apex court, has won awards both in India and abroad.
Chennai’s neighbourhoods during floods: Adrift together, divided by caste
Activists and residents of north Chennai say that they had to fight state apathy, along with a lot of disinformation, as it was deliberately portrayed that normalcy returned to Chennai when a part of the city was completely under water.
Tamil Nadu: 60 Dalits End Pre-Independence Era Practice, Walk Street Wearing Slippers
The community members walked the ‘Kambala Naicken Street’ in Rajavur village of Tiruppur district donning footwear for the first time in living memory, breaking an unwritten discriminatory practice imposed by upper castes.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is BJP's prominent Brahmin leader, tweeted on Monday that serving the Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas is the duty of the Shudras, citing a verse in Bhagavad Gita. Brahmin pandits have historically slotted all agrarian castes and below as Shudras. #caste
Tamil Nadu: Study says caste pride reigns in schools, identifies casteist teachers
The Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front submitted a study highlighting the prevalence of caste violence and discrimination in schools to the state government, seeking action in one month’s time.
Floods in north Chennai through the lens of its youngsters
“For others, photos are for news. But for us, it is a documentation of life with all its struggles and no filters,” say Nandhini and Rasiya, two young women photographers who documented the floods as it unfolded in north Chennai.
“Hollywood movies have a problem with intellectual endeavor; just look at the thinly imagined inner lives of the titular protagonists of “Oppenheimer” and “Maestro.” But Ava #DuVernay new movie, “Origin,” a bio-pic about the journalist and historian #IsabelWilkerson (played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), has no such problem.” #Caste#America#history#race#BlackMastodon#BlackFriday#BlackFedi
On all fours in ‘rat holes’, the heroes of Silkyara scrape by on the margins
Rat-hole mining is banned in India as a dangerous practice; showered by praise, a 12-member team of rat-hole miners ask for human dignity, a house, a road, fair wages, and an assurance that such a collapse will never be repeated.