A new bill introduced there could make California the first state to ban discrimination based on caste, one of the the oldest social stratification in the world.
this bill SB403, introduced by the state Sen. Aisha Wahab (D), will add caste as a protected category in existing non-discrimination laws. California law prohibits discrimination based on gender, disability, citizenship, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and other characteristics in public schools, state programs or activities, and employment and housing opportunities.
The caste system is a structure of oppression that originated in South Asia centuries ago and divides people based on birth or descent, giving power and privilege to the upper caste while oppressing the lower caste. Caste discrimination is illegal in India today, but it still affects Dalits, the lowest caste in the hierarchy, both in India and other South Asian countries. Casteism is widespread and entrenched throughout the world, including in the US
A 2016 report by Equality Labs, an anti-caste organization led by Dalits, found that two out of three Dalits in the US “reported being treated unfairly in the workplace because of caste.“ Meanwhile, 25% of Dalits who responded to the survey said they had experienced caste-based verbal or physical attacks.
California’s lawsuit against Cisco Systems Inc. in 2020 was a breakthrough in opening up a widespread conversation about caste discrimination in the US According to Viceit was the first time in history that a case was brought forward by a US government department against a private company for caste discrimination.
The lawsuit sparked widespread solidarity within the company and prompted 250 Dalit employees from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Netflix to come forward about their experiences of discrimination from their upper caste colleagues.
While Dalits and caste abolitionists in the country have expressed support for the passage of legislation to ensure protection against caste discrimination, other groups have expressed opposition to some of the efforts. At statementThe Hindu American Foundation claims that the California bill is “dangerously unfair, targeting and racially profiling communities based on national origin, ethnicity and ancestry for disparate treatment.”
But the bill to end caste discrimination in California is a “social justice and civil rights issue,” Wahab said, according to the Associated Press, it emphasizes that people come to the US to be free and pursue the American dream without disrupting their lives.
“This law mainly protects millions of people who live in silence and have never had such protection because of lack of knowledge about this issue. This bill is to protect vulnerable people,” added Wahab.
The move to California came a month after Seattle the first city to pass a law banning caste discrimination. Similar efforts to end caste discrimination have been made in colleges and universities across the country. In 2021, Harvard University was added caste protection for its graduate student workersand in December, Brown University became the first Ivy League to added caste protection to the nondiscrimination policy.