Seattle became the first US city to ban caste discrimination on Tuesday, after its local council voted to add caste to the city’s anti-discrimination laws.
The move addresses an important issue for the area’s South Asian diaspora, particularly the Indian and Hindu communities. India’s caste system is among the world’s oldest forms of rigid social stratification.
“The fight against caste discrimination is deeply related to the fight against all forms of oppression,” said Kshama Sawant, a Seattle city council member of Indian American origin.
The caste system dates back thousands of years and allows many privileges to the upper castes but represses the lower castes. The Dalit community is at the bottom rung of India’s Hindu caste system and has been treated as ‘untouchable’.
‘Discrimination based on caste does not only occur in other countries. It is being faced by South Asian Americans and other immigrant workers in their workplaces, including in the tech sector, in Seattle and in cities across the country,” Sawant said as his office introduced the bill to ban caste-based discrimination. in Seattle.
Seattle Councilwoman Kshama Sawant speaks to supporters and opponents of a proposed ordinance to add caste to Seattle’s anti-discrimination laws at a rally at Seattle City Hall
The caste system dates back thousands of years and allows many privileges to the upper castes, but represses the lower castes.
People celebrate the passage of an ordinance to add caste to Seattle’s anti-discrimination laws in the Seattle City Hall chambers
Caste discrimination was outlawed in India more than 70 years ago, but the bias persists, according to several studies in recent years, including one that found lower-caste people were underrepresented in higher-paying jobs.
Despite India having outlawed untouchability, Dalits still face widespread abuse across the country, where their attempts to climb the social ladder have sometimes been violently suppressed.
The debate over the hierarchy of the caste system is contentious in India and abroad, and the issue is intertwined with religion. Some people say that discrimination is now rare. Indian government policies reserving seats for lower-caste students at top Indian universities have helped many tech jobs land in the West in recent years.
Campaigners opposed to caste discrimination say it is no different from other forms of discrimination such as racism and should therefore be banned. US discrimination laws prohibit discrimination based on ancestry, but do not explicitly prohibit castism.
Tensions within the community were visible at Seattle City Hall on Tuesday, when a rowdy hearing culminated in a 6-1 vote in which a majority of the council agreed that caste discrimination cuts across national and religious boundaries.
Without such laws, those who face caste discrimination in the US will have no legal rights or protections, they agreed.
The packed hall, packed with activists from both sides carrying banners, chanting slogans, challenging speakers and city officials as they made their remarks, exposed stark divisions on this issue within the South Asian diaspora.
Campaigners opposed to caste discrimination say it is no different from other forms of discrimination such as racism and should therefore be banned.
Supporters and opponents, like Livi Nivarthi, pointing center, try to shout at each other during a rally at Seattle City Hall regarding a proposed ordinance to add caste to Seattle’s anti-discrimination laws.
The majority of those present in the council chambers were supporters of the ordinance and those who opposed it were a vocal minority.
As council members voted in favor of the ordinance, the chamber erupted with cheers of ‘Jai Bhim’, meaning ‘victory for Bhim’, a rallying cry adopted by supporters of BR Ambedkar, an icon of children’s rights. Indian Dalits whose given name was Bhimrao.
Dalit groups and their supporters say caste discrimination is prevalent in US diaspora communities, manifesting itself in the form of social alienation and discrimination in housing, education and the technology sector, where South Asians have roles clue.
Yogesh Mane, a Seattle resident who grew up untouchable in India, broke down in tears upon hearing the council’s decision.
“I’m excited because this is the first time such an ordinance has been passed anywhere in the world outside of South Asia,” he said. “It’s a historic moment and a powerful feeling when the law allows us to talk about things that are wrong.”
Thenmozhi Soundararajan, chief executive of Oakland, California-based Equality Labs, whose advocacy work with community partners continues to push for anti-caste discrimination laws, called the council vote “a culture war that has been won.”
“We got support from more than 200 organizations in Seattle and across the country,” he said. “It is a powerful message that Dalits are not alone. The South Asian community has come together to say that we want to heal from caste trauma.’
People react to the passage of an ordinance to add caste to Seattle’s anti-discrimination laws in the Seattle City Hall chambers