Articles

The Case for Reparations, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, June 2014, in The Atlantic
This article outlines the history of racial oppression in the US, and the resulting economic consequences that have affected Black communities for decades. Coates describes how a national discussion about economic reparations would also lead us through a reckoning of our country’s history and ongoing racial disparities.

Link: America’s Enduring Caste System, by Isabel Wilkerson, July 1, 2020, in the New York Times Magazine
This is a well-written and eye-opening analysis of what the author calls the caste system in the United States, comparing it to other caste systems the world has known, in particular that of India. Ms. Wilkerson argues that caste is the deeper, more rooted, problem in our culture, and that racism is the skin we see covering the inner structure and skeleton of caste. Note: this article needs a New York Times subscription or a library to access.