ABOUT ME
Samra Smajlovic
Hello! I am a first-generation Bosnian American. As well as a first-generation college student. My family came to the United States in 1997 and had me shortly after. I am an advertising major with a concentration in the art direction at Temple University.
After reading and analyzing Isabel Wilkersons book about caste systems, it has definitely opened up my eyes to how damaging they have and continue to be. Isabel Wilkerson defines a caste system as “an artificial construction, a fixed and embedded ranking of human value that sets the preserved supremacy of one group against the presumed inferiority of other groups on the basis on ancestry and often immutable traits…” My own personal and my family's experience with caste is the reason I am here today. Events that took place in Bosnia and in Germany continue to happen today in various countries. While I was one of the lucky ones, many others did not have the same outcome. People continue to be tortured and even killed, just because they are seen to be in a "lower ranking" group. This issue is very present today, but still ignored by many, which is why I wanted to shed light on a small branch of what caste systems have resulted in throughout history.