Chapter 14

Question 1

What does Wilkerson mean by “status hyper-vigilance”?

Answer 1

A constant awareness and enforcement of caste-based hierarchy, often unconscious, where dominant-caste individuals assert control or override those seen as subordinate.

Question 2

What historical precedent does Wilkerson use to contextualize dominant caste interference in Black families?

Answer 2

The practice during slavery of separating children from their parents, or punishing enslaved parents for protecting their children—dehumanizing subordinate-caste parenting.

Question 3

What does the 2014 police killing of Tamir Rice symbolize in this chapter?

Answer 3

The deadly consequence of caste-based perception, where a Black child is not granted the innocence or benefit of the doubt afforded to white children.

Question 4

What historical justification was used to dehumanize Black children during slavery?

Answer 4

Children were seen as property with monetary value from birth, and even infants could be sold—denying their humanity and familial bonds.

Question 5

What does Wilkerson compare caste’s invisible power to?

Answer 5

The wind—unseen but powerful, capable of knocking people down and shaping behaviors without visible force.

Question 6

Why are microaggressions like these dangerous, according to Wilkerson?

Answer 6

Because they enforce caste boundaries subtly but pervasively, causing psychological harm and reinforcing inequality in everyday life.