Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 76 (2011) Winner
Isabel Wilkerson
イザベル・ウィルカーソン
Isabel Wilkerson
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1961 （Washington, D.C.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Washington, D.C. → Chicago → New York → Atlanta
Career
- Occupations
- Journalist, Author, Professor
- Active Years
- 1984-
- Affiliations
- Emory University, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Boston University (College of Communication), Columbia University (board member, National Arts in Journalism Program)
- Influenced By
- James Baldwin, Ida B. Wells
- Influenced
- Contemporary nonfiction writers and scholars of race
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard University | School of Arts | Journalism | BA | 1979–1983 | United States |
Howard University
School of Arts
/ Journalism
Degree:
BA
Period:
1979–1983
Year of Graduation:
1983
Country:
United States
Served as editor-in-chief of the college newspaper and interned at multiple major publications during studies.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | George S. Polk Award | — | Regional Reporting | George S. Polk Award organization | winner |
| 1994 | Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing | Coverage of the 1993 Midwestern floods and a profile of a 10-year-old boy | Feature Writing | Pulitzer Prize Board | winner |
| 1998 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | winner |
| 2010 | National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction) | The Warmth of Other Suns | Nonfiction | National Book Critics Circle | winner |
| 2011 | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award | The Warmth of Other Suns | — | Anisfield-Wolf Foundation | winner |
| 2016 | National Humanities Medal | — | — | National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) | winner |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Current Interest) | Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents | Current Interest | Los Angeles Times | winner |
George S. Polk Award
1993
Category:
Regional Reporting
Organization:
George S. Polk Award organization
Result:
winner
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
1994
Work:
Coverage of the 1993 Midwestern floods and a profile of a 10-year-old boy
Category:
Feature Writing
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize Board
Result:
winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
1998
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
winner
National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction)
2010
Work:
The Warmth of Other Suns
Category:
Nonfiction
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
winner
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
2011
Work:
The Warmth of Other Suns
Organization:
Anisfield-Wolf Foundation
Result:
winner
National Humanities Medal
2016
Organization:
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Result:
winner
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Current Interest)
2020
Work:
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Category:
Current Interest
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2020) Winner
Goodreads Choice Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
2010 Nonfiction / Oral history, History 640 pagesA major narrative history documenting the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West during the 20th century, based on interviews with over a thousand people and focusing on three major migration routes.
Migration (Great Migration)Race and opportunityPersonal narratives and collective memory
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
2020 Nonfiction / Social history, Sociology 496 pagesAnalyzes racial stratification in the United States through the framework of a caste system, comparing it to caste structures in India and Nazi Germany and exploring its historical roots and contemporary effects.
Hierarchy and casteStructural racismHistorical comparison
Adaptations
- [Film] Origin / Ava DuVernay (2023)
Bibliography
- The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration (2010)
- Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020)
Adaptations
- Origin (2023 biographical drama film)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Narrative nonfictionOral-history-based reportingInvestigative and historical narration
- Recurring Motifs
- Migration and changeInstitutional and structural inequalityMaking history visible through personal testimony
Legacy
Isabel Wilkerson has significantly influenced public understanding of the Great Migration and the conceptual analysis of racial hierarchy in America. Her fusion of narrative nonfiction and investigative reporting has earned critical acclaim, numerous awards, and honorary degrees.
Academic Societies
- National Association of Black Journalists
Archives
- Library of Congress (holds related materials)
In Popular Culture
- Brought to wider popular attention by the biographical film 'Origin' (2023)
Quotes
-
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. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power — which groups have it and which do not.
Source: The New York Times Magazine ('America's Enduring Caste System', 2020) (2020)
Trivia
- Her father, Alexander Wilkerson, was one of the Tuskegee Airmen.
- Interviewed more than 1,000 people for The Warmth of Other Suns.
- Won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing; among the first African-American women to win a Pulitzer in journalism.