MEMBERSHIP
The Atlanta Bar Book Club
AYANNA JONES-LIGHTSY Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation ajones-lightsy @ avlf . org
Earlier this year , the Atlanta Bar Association launched its inaugural Book Club , aptly named “ Book Bar .” The Club reads at least two ( and hopefully more !) books a year , alternating between fiction and non-fiction selections . In March 2022 , Book Club read “ Caste : The Origins of Our Discontents ” by Isabel Wilkerson . “ Caste ” looks deeply at the system of division in America that underlies our interactions . Wilkerson compares the structures of caste in America , India , and Nazi Germany by analyzing the fundamental similarities between the three systems .
Wilkerson defines the caste system as “ an artificial construction , a fixed and embedded ranking of human value that sets the presumed supremacy of one group against the presumed inferiority of other groups on the basis of … immutable traits that would be neutral in the abstract .” This classification goes beyond race and class , yet it includes them both . By using powerful narratives to explain how the caste system works in all three places , Wilkerson weaves a powerful story of racial relations in America and the historical and modern day implications .
As we go about our daily lives , caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater , flashlight cast down in the aisles , guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance .
Wilkerson uses the analogy of inheriting an old house as a way to explain modern America and its attitude towards race and caste . The house , built several generations ago , has many flaws and underlying issues that need to be addressed . Although the list of problems was not created by the current owners , any further deterioration of the home is the fault of the current occupants . Wilkerson argues that we must face the problems produced by previous owners rather than choose to ignore those problems to move forward in a healthy manner . “ As we go about our daily lives , caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater , flashlight cast down in the aisles , guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance . The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality . It is about power - which groups have it and which do not . It is about resources - which caste is seen worthy of them and which are not .”
As attorneys , our specialized training gives us access to resources that the rest of the population does not have ; we are sought because of this access and the benefits we can provide for our clients as a result . The system of caste functions in a similar manner . However , under a caste system , the access is arbitrary and not based on training or skill or hard work .
Every week , the book club discusses a different aspect of the caste system .
38 March / April 2022