The Metropolitan Community Church to discuss

Metropolitan Community Church will host a new virtual study on New Anti-Racism Study through the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. (Photo taken from the official website of the Good Reads)

For those having difficulty understanding what individuals say about systemic racism, the Metropolitan Community Church will host a new virtual discussion on the New Anti-Racism Study on July 21. According to the church’s newsletter, the study would allow members to explore in depth what systemic racism is.

The Metropolitan Community Church to run Caste: A New Anti-Racism Study

For those having difficulty understanding what individuals say about systemic racism, The Metropolitan Community Church will host a new virtual study on New Anti-Racism Study on July 21.

According to the church’s newsletter, the study would allow members to explore deeper what systemic racism is. They would also tackle the effect of it on their lives. The church notes that this course would be a chance to choose what they could do to help in breaking the racist cultural structures.

The 11-week study would help members understand what it means "to get in good trouble." John Lewis, a former civil rights activist, mentioned this statement.

Systemic Racism

Rev. Alisan Rowland mentioned in the newsletter that after the shooting in Buffalo, NY, his colleague did not come to work the next day. She did not feel safe, Rowland said. He added that he realized why his colleague was afraid.

This incident reminded him that as black women, they do not have the freedom to forget: that is the work of anti-racism. It is a constant commitment, Rowland added. He heard an interview with the author Isabel Wilkerson talking about her latest book ”Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.”

He thought the way Wilkerson explained systemic racism was a compelling and transparent approach. He compared it to an old house they had received with problems to be fixed. They did not build the house nor create the issues. But as the tenants, they are responsible for repairing the damages or living with the consequences of their negligence, he added.

Rowland noted that he prayed and realized God was nudging him to take the next move in his commitment to the anti-racism initiative. Then he started looking for Wilkerson’s book.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

Rowland also stated that Wilkerson’s book is an interesting and exciting beginning to issues of systemic racism. He added that Wilkerson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Her book “Caste” has become the number-one New York Times Bestseller and was even chosen in 2020 for Oprah’s Book Club.

In addition, according to the Good Reads website, the book analyzed the unspoken caste system that has designed America. The book also describes how a hierarchy of human divisions still shapes people's lives today.

The website also noted that Wilkerson provided readers with a masterful image of an unseen phenomenon in America. She discussed how she discovered these issues through intensive research of narratives and stories about real individuals.

Besides, they added that the book depicts how a hidden caste system has influenced America today throughout its history. It is a system that is a rigid hierarchy of human status. Wilkerson mentioned a great caste system beyond race, class, and other factors in the book. These aspects impact individuals’ lives and attitudes and the nation’s fate.

Connecting the said system of America, India, and Nazi Germany, the author analyzed eight pillars that underlie caster systems across civilizations. She said this includes a divine will, bloodlines, stigma, etc. The author even used Martin Luther King, Jr.'s story to show how the insidious undertow of caste is experienced daily.