Poet behind book about US racism wins award
 

NEW YORK: A poet whose work explores the casual racism in the United States toward African-Americans is among the 23 winners of $625,000 “genius grants,” the US organisation awarding them said on Thursday.

Claudia Rankine, 53, was joined in the ho**ur by leaders in fields as varied as civil rights law and microbiology, the John D. and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation said in a statement.

The annual awards are provided as seed money, with ** strings attached, for intellectual, social and artistic endeavors, the foundation said.

Grants are paid out over five years.

Rankine’s 2014 book of poetry, “Citizen”, which has won multiple literary awards, was among the works cited by the foundation for the grant.

The book examines the ways subtle racism like suspicious looks or complaints about affirmative action paint everyday life for many black Americans.

“The first piece in ‘Citizen’ was written right after Katrina,” Rankine said, referring to the 2005 hurricane, in a video interview on the foundation’s website. “I recorded all of the CNN coverage and was fascinated by how racism colored the reporting.”

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