Photo of Isabel Wilkerson

Ten Evenings

Isabel Wilkerson

“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance.”

Isabel Wilkerson, Caste

In her ground-breaking book Caste, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson, explores how America—today and throughout its history—is shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.

In Caste, Wilkerson documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. She also points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.

Isabel Wilkerson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, is the author the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Warmth of Other Suns, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Heartland Prize for Nonfiction, the Anisfield-Wolf Award for Nonfiction, the Lynton History Prize from Harvard and Columbia universities, and the Stephen Ambrose Oral History Prize.

“A transformative new framework through which to understand identity and injustice in America.”

TIME

Books

Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns are available from White Whale Bookstore.

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson book cover

WHEN

Monday, May 9, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. ET

COVID-19

At this time, all in-person attendees must be fully vaccinated or present a recent negative COVID-19 test. Masks must be worn by everyone for the duration of their visit. You will need to bring proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test, photo ID, and mask. Find detailed entry requirements at pittsburghlectures.org/welcome.

Security Check

Prior to entry, all guests for this event will be subject to a security screening, including a handheld metal detector and bag check. While we do not limit bag sizes, please know that weapons of any kind or likeness are prohibited. Prohibited items discovered during our screening process will not be allowed inside of the hall. By presenting your ticket and entering our venue, you consent to the screening. Refusal of screening may result in denied entry.

TICKETS

Tickets to attend in person start at $15
Virtual passes are $15
$10 student tickets are available with promo code LS22STUDENT
BUY IN-PERSON SEATINGBUY VIRTUAL PASS
Tickets may also be purchased via phone (412.622.8866) or at the door starting at 6:30 p.m. on the day of the event.
The video link for the livestreamed event will be emailed to all ticket holders on the day of the lecture. The captioned video will be available to view for one week, expiring on May 16, 2022.
Community access tickets are available if cost is a barrier to view this lecture. If you’d like to request a community access ticket please email us at info@pittsburghlectures.org.

WHERE

Carnegie Music Hall
4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15213

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