Being the first US city to officially outlaw caste discrimination, the Seattle City Council has included caste to the city's anti-discrimination regulations.
In the United States, populations of South Asian ancestry have become more vocal in their calls to abolish caste-based discrimination. Caste is a system of grouping individuals based on birth or descent. Some Hindu Americans are opposing the movement, claiming that the legislation unfairly targets their community.
According to supporters of the ordinance passed by a 6-1 vote on Tuesday, caste prejudice transcends national and religious lines, and without such regulations, those who experience caste discrimination in the US won't have any rights.
Particularly among the nation's South Asian diaspora, the ordinance is a divisive topic. Proponents claim that it is necessary because caste is not protected by current civil rights laws. Groups opposing the measure say it will malign a community that is already the target of prejudice.
The sole Indian-American on the City Council and socialist Council Member Kshama Sawant said the law she drafted takes into account how caste discrimination transcends national and religious lines rather than targeting any particular minority.
Caste system in India came into effect 3,000 years ago
3,000 years ago, a social hierarchy based on occupation and birth gave rise to the caste system in India. It is a system that has developed through the years while being ruled by both Muslims and the Brits. The Dalits, or people at the bottom of the caste system, have continued to suffer. Since 1948, the year after the country's independence from British rule, caste discrimination is illegal in India.
According to Thenmozhi Soundararajan, founder and executive director of California-based Equality Labs, Dalit activists from Seattle and elsewhere demonstrated in support of the ordinance at Seattle City Hall.
The Migration Policy Institute projects that the number of Indians living abroad increased from around 206,000 in 1980 to about 2.7 million in 2021, making the US the second most popular destination for Indians living abroad. According to the organisation South Asian Americans Leading Together, there are now 5.4 million South Asians living in the country, an increase from the 3.5 million who were recorded in the 2010 census. The majority can trace their ancestry to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Some college and university systems have taken action to forbid caste discrimination over the last three years.
Some positive actions over the last three years in some colleges
Some college and university systems have taken action to forbid caste discrimination over the last three years.
In its nondiscrimination policy, Brandeis University in the Boston area became the first college in the US to mention caste in December 2019. Similar policies have been enacted by the University of California, Davis, Colby College, Brown University, and the California State University System. In accordance with the terms of its agreement with the graduate student union, Harvard University implemented caste protections for student workers in 2021.
Dalit activist led organisations support Seattle ordinance
Dalit activist-led organisations like Equality Labs and others supported the Seattle ordinance. According to the organisations, caste prejudice is pervasive in diaspora communities and manifests as social exclusion and prejudice in the housing, educational, and technological sectors, where South Asians play important roles.
Organizations like the Hindu American Foundation and the Alliance of Hindus of North America opposed the legislation, arguing that it unnecessarily singles out a population that is already subject to discrimination in the US.
