Caste systems ultimately harm us all and our planet.

In September 2020, after evacuation orders were lifted, I returned to my mountain home in California to clean up after the CZU Wildfire. I prepared to sanitize my fridge and remove smoke residue, hoping my N-95 mask would shield me from lingering toxins.

While cleaning, I listened to the audiobook of Caste. I was appalled by descriptions of white families enjoying picnics while Black individuals were tortured and murdered. The charred remnants in my yard reminded me of those horrific images.

As I wiped down my windows, I thought of neighbors during Nazi Germany who likely cleaned similar residues, wondering about the source of the noxious smoke.

As a climate activist and a white mother, I began to awaken to the exploitation perpetrated by oppressive powers. The fires, fueled by climate change, had devastated my community, reflecting a cycle of senseless violence that our battered ecosystems are now responding to.

Caste is a poison. Empathy is the antidote.

Caste spent nearly a year on the New York Times Bestseller List, emerging during the Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd's death. In her book, Wilkerson outlines eight pillars that underpin caste systems, linking the experiences of slavery and Jim Crow laws in the U.S. to Nazi Germany's extermination plans and the brutal treatment of Dalits in India.

Watching Origin, my heart ached for Wilkerson as she faced the loss of her three closest loved ones while articulating her transformative ideas.

Her capacity to transform her grief into empathy was inspiring. In a poignant moment, she engaged a plumber wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat about his mother, despite their apparent differences. This brief connection encouraged him to share his own painful family history.

DuVernay’s careful direction demonstrates how curiosity and active listening can bridge vast divides. Beneath our distinctions and perceived castes, we all experience shared human emotions of pain and loss.

This profound empathy permeates Caste. Listening to it in the summer of 2020, I hoped that those defending Confederate symbols would find the courage to engage with it.

Two Heartbreaking Emergency Phone Calls

Origin begins with a young Black man exiting a convenience store. As the camera zooms in, we hear 17-year-old Trayvon Martin inform a friend that a car is following him.

Later, a former colleague of Wilkerson shares recordings of two 911 calls from that tragic night. In the first, George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed Trayvon, reports a "suspicious guy" in his neighborhood. When the operator asks if he is following Trayvon, he confirms, leading her to advise against it. In subsequent recordings, Trayvon's screams are heard, followed by gunshots, while emergency responders can only listen in helplessness.

The day after I watched Origin, I heard the desperate final words of 15-year-old Layan Hamadeh, who called for help from a car in Gaza. She and her family were trapped as an Israeli tank approached, and her cries for help went unanswered.

Trayvon was killed for being Black in a white neighborhood, while Layan and her family faced violence for being Palestinian. In the U.S., Black men and boys live under constant threat due to harmful stereotypes, while Palestinians endure similar dangers due to their perceived identities.

The U.S. has positioned itself as the dominant caste nation globally, crafting systems that enable it to disregard international law.

Following the Holocaust, guilt compelled the U.S. and European nations to act, but they avoided welcoming Jewish immigrants. Instead, the U.N. was established, leading to Israel's creation in 1948, which allowed Jewish settlers to displace Palestinians. For centuries, Jews, Christians, and Muslims coexisted in Palestine until Zionism's rise.

Shaving Heads, Stripping Bodies, and Spreading Rumors to Hide Humanity

Wilkerson begins Caste with the image of "The Man in the Crowd," showcasing a photograph of shipyard workers pledging allegiance to Hitler in 1936 Hamburg. One man stands with arms crossed, silently resisting. This image echoes throughout Origin, intertwining with a storyline about forbidden love.

Intermittent scenes depict the man, August Landmesser, who loved a Jewish woman, Irma Eckler. Following her capture by Nazi forces, we witness a female prisoner having her hair shaved, stripping her of her humanity. Such acts made it easier for guards to commit atrocities.

Recent images of Palestinian men forcibly stripped to their underwear evoke similar dehumanizing tactics used by the Israeli Defense Forces.

Since October 7th, Israel has launched a calculated propaganda campaign to justify its assault on Gaza, while financial interests in the U.S. amplify fear-based messaging.

The U.S. government perpetuates unfounded rumors, as do mainstream media outlets, to rationalize support for civilian casualties. U.S. officials boast of the economic benefits of ongoing warfare, while leading efforts to defund humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

The misleading pro-Israel advertising during the Super Bowl is akin to the romanticized portrayals of Confederate glory. A tweet from Abed A. Ayoub, Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, highlights the timing of these campaigns:

> The genocide escalated as the Super Bowl kicked off. The attack on Rafah began around the same time as the Stop Hate/Antisemitism ad aired. This isn’t coincidence. It is planned.

(Approximately 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah, now under attack after being ordered to evacuate other regions of Gaza.)

Blind patriotism and groupthink also diminish humanity.

The individuals saluting Hitler were themselves victims of dehumanization. When groups are pressured to conform, their innate understanding diminishes.

I lived in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., with young children. A Dutch friend remarked that the U.S. pledge of allegiance resembled allegiance to the Third Reich. This perspective led me to abstain from participating in such displays.

I admire quarterback Colin Kaepernick's bravery for kneeling in support of Black Lives. We should collectively refrain from pledging allegiance to a government that inflicts harm and refuses accountability.

We must face our shameful past and stop repeating it.

During a dinner party in Germany, a white woman asserted that Germany and the U.S. are incomparable, claiming Germany has taken responsibility for the Holocaust. While there is some truth to this, Wilkerson noted the self-righteousness in her tone, only to later discover that Nazi extermination plans were modeled after Jim Crow laws and lynching in the U.S.

Their conversation began with Confederate flags and memorials to slave owners, contrasting with Germany's prohibition of Nazi symbols. In Caste, Wilkerson points out the U.S. Civil War as an anomaly, as most defeated nations fade from memory. To many Americans, the Confederacy has become romanticized, paving the way for Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

Historically, white authors and educators have downplayed the horrors of slavery, Jim Crow, and Native American genocide. This selective history, combined with blind patriotism, perpetuates the myth of U.S. exceptionalism, leading many to believe their government can do no wrong.

Mainstream media portrays the "Israel-Hamas War" as a conflict between equal parties, neglecting the U.S.-funded military advantages Israel enjoys while ignoring the plight of Gazans trapped within prison walls.

Origin’s depiction of the slave ship offers an unfiltered view of our horrific past. As a nation built on the myth of 'whiteness,' we excel at dehumanizing others. Wilkerson demonstrates how members of the dominant caste forfeit empathy and compassion, resorting to fear and hatred to uphold social order.

Mamie Till's decision to hold an open-casket funeral for her son Emmett was pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement, exposing the brutal reality of lynching culture in the U.S.

The disturbing images emerging from Gaza have prompted widespread protests worldwide. The global community increasingly views Palestine as a moral compass, yet the dominant caste U.S. government clings to its defense of Israel's oppressive regime.

Those of us who benefit from dominant caste privileges face a crucial choice:

Do we retreat into comfort and feigned confusion, or do we open our hearts and minds to join the growing movement for justice that seeks to create a world where everyone is truly free?

Finding the courage to do what is right will lead us toward healing and collaboration to safeguard our shared, beleaguered planet.

For those in search of hope, I highly recommend reading Caste (before or after watching Origin). Both works provide essential insights for navigating our current challenges.

I also encourage tuning into Democracy Now! daily for updates on Gaza and other critical global issues often overlooked by mainstream media. This video from their YouTube channel exemplifies the kind of truth-telling they provide:

Footnote

1. The editor Aza Y. Alam requested, and I consented to use the spelling ‘whyte’ to indicate racial categorization as a constructed concept and to move away from a binary where “white” symbolizes fairness and purity while “black” signifies evil and filth.

Gail Valker McNulty is a mother to three teenagers while navigating her relationship with her aging parents. She writes to explore how we can collectively love and create the future we all desire. If you're interested in co-creating a just and joyful world, let's connect! LinkedIn • Twitter