In recognition of Black History Month, the San Diego Diplomacy Council is proud to offer a powerful reflection of Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Join us online on Wednesday, February 24th at 7 PM PST to discuss the harsh realities of a menacing Caste system that exists and may sometimes thrive in our developed world. Wilkerson offers an unparalleled synthesis of the American way of life by conflating notions of race and caste. Rather than arguing they are synonymic, she writes they often coexist and reinforce each other in a society: “Race, in the United States, is the visible agent of the unseen force of caste. Caste is the bones, race is the skin”.

Our co-hosts for this event are the two expert scholars Fern P. Nelson, M.D. and Bashker “Bob” Biswas, Ph.D.

Dr. Nelson, an African American woman native to Detroit, Michigan, has also lived in numerous cities throughout the United States, including Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, and currently San Diego. Nelson spent the bulk of her career teaching dermatology residents and students, in addition to running her own private practice. She now serves as a member of the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art, the Balboa Park Conservancy, AND on our very own advisory board. She will share her experiences and reflections in light of the caste system here in America.

Dr. Biswas has an extensive and accredited career working as a professor at just shy of ten universities, including Santa Clara University and the Zain International Graduate Academy. Bashkaralso has first-hand International Business knowledge serving as a Consultant and an International Executive in all continents of the world, covering over 30 different countries. In her novel, Wilkerson draws upsetting parallels between India’s treatment of its untouchables, Dalits, Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews, and America’s treatment of African-Americans. She notes, each country “relied on stigmatizing those deemed inferior to justify the dehumanization necessary to keep the lowest-ranked people at the bottom and to rationalize the protocols of enforcement.” Due to his experience as both an Indian man and an incredibly accomplished businessman, Dr. Biswas offers the global context needed to comment on such a comparison.

The San Diego Diplomacy Council is honored to provide a platform for these two bright minds to share their expertise and analysis.

This event is free. Register Here