It’s not a surprise that this story, like most, is set in the U.S.A. Kindred is specifically set in two places (so far), Maryland (across the bay from Baltimore) in 1815 and Altadena, California in 1976.
Maryland at the time of this story was still around 50 years from officially eliminating slavery, the practice of which had started in 1642 and would last about 200 more years for this state in particular. In the year 1815 specifically, the Methodist and Quaker anti-slavery groups both were working together to form the Protection Society of Maryland, which worked towards getting protection for the free blacks living in the state. Both of these groups are religious groups related to Christianity.
One of the biggest events in 1976 California was the drought that lasted through to the year after. The drought had such a significant impact on the state that there were water conservation movements that last to this day, encouraging citizens to use less while doing daily activities and only when necessary for various other activities. The most damage at the time was to the agricultural system, which accounts for around 75% of water usage in the state, and numerous practices are still used to preserve their water supply, even in times where it would be completely unnecessary, like Drip Irrigation, which has now become a standard practice across the state.