Book club for Coming Out As Dalit by Yashica Dutt!
This 5-session book club will be co-facilitated by community members Shikha and Thia, who will hold space for community discussion, collective journaling, learning, and processing, and mutual aid for a Dalit organization in India.
Image ID: Dark brown background, book cover, pink text boxes with white text with program name, registration deal, dates, and features
Program Dates
Meetings will be held July 15, July 22, July 29, August 5, August 12
Mondays from 3-4pm PT / 6-7pm ET
Registration Deal
Join our Patreon for only $2 and get your discount code for 50% off registration!
About the Author: Yashica Dutt
In Coming Out as Dalit, Dutt recounts the exhausting burden of living with the secret and how she was terrified of being found out. She talks about the tremendous feeling of empowerment she experienced when she finally stood up for herself and her community and shrugged off the fake upper-caste identity she’d had to construct for herself. As she began to understand the inequities of the caste system, she also had to deal with the crushing guilt of denying her history and the struggles of her grandparents and the many Dalit reformers who fought for equal rights.
In this personal memoir that is also a narrative of the Dalits, she writes about the journey of coming to terms with her identity and takes us through the history of the Dalit movement; the consequences of her community’s lack of access to education and culture; the need for reservation; the paucity of Dalit voices in mainstream media; Dalit women’s movements and their ongoing contributions; and attempts to answer crucial questions about caste and privilege. Woven from personal narratives from her own life as well as that of other Dalits, this book forces us to confront the injustices of caste and also serves as a call to action.
“Hiding one aspect of your identity is like leading a double life. You don’t feel like you belong anywhere. You create masks to wear in each of your lives, and switch artfully between the two. Eventually the two blur together and you no longer remember who you are.”
“We have many things in common, but one very vital thing was different.”
Yashica Dutt, Coming Out as Dalit
Meet the Facilitators: Shikha and Thia
Meet Shikha
A fan of feminist writings and autobiographies, Shikha runs reading circles in the past on Dalit women/fem writings diving deep into multiple layers of complexities.
Being a doctoral student, reading has become an addictive habit and simply cannot start her day without it.
Meet Thia
Fostering conversations that shift perceptions and allow people to define their own narratives using the storytelling and community to drive change.
Thia offers Accessible Trauma-informed Yoga, Pilates, Somatics, Clinical Rehab in South Africa.
FAQs for coming out as dalit book club
Q: Where is my money going?
A portion of ticket sales will go to @dalitqueerindia to support the efforts of LGBTQIA+ caste-oppressed people in India
Q: Will the sessions be recorded?
All sessions will be recorded! We highly encourage zoom participation, however register even if you can’t attend all the sessions. There will be other ways to connect!
Q: Where do I buy the book?
We encourage you to shop local! Check out bookshop.org to support your local bookstore or check out from your library!
Q: What if I don’t have time?
You don’t need to read the WHOLE book before July 15! You can follow the reading guide before each meeting. Consider audiobook, E-book, or physical copies.