Racial Moment of Truth with Isabel Wilkerson
By Emma Holden
Photo courtesy of St. Catherine University/Rebecca Slater
On October 3rd, the O'Shaughnessy hosted Pulitzer-Prize winner, Isabel Wilkerson, for her presentation titled Our Racial Moment of Truth.
The presentation was first in a series of the O'Shaughnessy's Bonnie Jean Kelly & Joan Kelly Distinguished Visiting Scholars Lectures and followed the TPT Mixtape on September 12th as a strong start to the series.
Wilkerson's presentation covered topics from her two New York Times bestselling novels: The Warmth of Other Suns, and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which both reference a similar framework of race in America and discuss the effects of that framework on individuals, as told through their stories.
Wilkerson has won several awards, including a National Humanities Medal, a George Polk Award, a Heartland Award, and many others. She was the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer prize for journalism in 1994. She has an incredible talent for storytelling that truly invites the reader and listener into the narrative.
The Warmth of Other Suns is a project of 15 years of dedication, a collection following the footsteps of countless African American and Black Americans who participated in the Great Migration--emigrating north within the country's borders to escape the Jim Crow laws of the south. The book was released in 2010, and Wilkerson speaking of it during the event showed how much research and care was pressed into its pages.
Caste, in a different approach, details the caste-system framework of race present in America and how that framework has presented differently throughout the history of our country. The book explores three different caste systems, jumping between history and present-day to examine examples of both individual's personal stories and much wider phenomenon. Caste was released in 2020, and its award-winning reception emphasizes the timely need for discussion and action on the topic of race. Both of these books are available online with audiobook and ebook formatting. They are also available in hard-copy at several bookstores, including the St. Kate’s on campus bookstore.
The event also offered a behind-the-scenes look into Wilkerson's role as an author, the approach she took when writing both of these books and the reactions she received from readers. Things that she discovered during her research include moments of everyday life criminalized during the Jim Crow era and instances where someone's physical appearance so greatly affected the opportunities they were allocated in life, to the point of becoming life-or-death. Examples were not only given but walked through as each moment built on itself in a well-presented journey through each story told. Wilkerson was notably talented in relating to and engaging with the listener. Audience attention was high, and there were several points where shock and opinion of the topics she was detailing were vocalized throughout the audience. Many topics hit close to home.
After the main speech, President Marcheta P. Evans joined Mrs. Wilkerson on stage to discuss questions from the community. The discussion and advice was thought-provoking and offered audiences much to consider for the future of students' personal lives and of America.
Photo courtesy of St. Catherine University/Rebecca Slater
The book signing that concluded the night was also a memorable experience with an impressive turnout. The last in line waited over 1.5 hours. It was no wonder considering the care and personalization that Ms. Wilkerson put into each book brought to her table. I found the waiting to be well worth it. I left the evening feeling a little giddy, a whole lot thoughtful and unsteady on my feet as if my world had shifted in the way it does when trying to accommodate a lot of new knowledge at once.
If you missed out on the event, Mrs. Wilkerson has also done TED talks which are available on youtube, and her books are an intense (Caste clocking in at 638 pages!) but totally world-altering reads.
The O'Shaughnessy will also be hosting more events this season. Check them out here! St. Kate’s students are encouraged to attend and can purchase tickets at discounted prices.
