Seattle City Council members are preparing to vote on whether to add caste to the city’s anti-discrimination laws. If they are approved Seattle The first would be the city in It is the duty of the United States.
The proposed ordinance, being considered Tuesday, is a contentious issue, especially among the nation’s South Asian diaspora. Caste protections are not available to caste, but supporters argue that it’s necessary. The groups opposed to the measure argue that it would malign communities already victim of prejudice.
Starting to appear were organizers and activists from various sides of the problem in Seattle On Monday
More than 100 individuals had already put their money in as early last week. in Requests to speak at this meeting. A number of activists braved wind gusts and cold temperatures to stand outside City Hall on Tuesday morning to have a chance at speaking to council members before they vote.
Kshama Sawant (a socialist council member and the only Indian American to the City Council) said that her proposed ordinance doesn’t single out a community but instead accounts for the caste system. discrimination It crosses religious and national boundaries.
The origins of the caste system in India Can be traced back 3,000 years as a social hierarchy based on one’s occupation and birth. This system has been shaped by British and Muslim rule over time. The suffering of those who are at the bottom of the caste pyramid – known as Dalits – has continued. Caste discrimination This has been forbidden in India since 1948, a year after the nation’s independence from British rule.
Dalit activists in India Seattle And beyond, two rallies are planned at Seattle City Hall in Thenmozhi Soundararajan is the founder and executive Director of California-based Equality Labs. He supports the ordinance.
According to Migration Policy Institute data, the U.S. ranks second among Indians living overseas. The Institute claims that about 260,000 Indians moved there in the last decade. in 1980 to approximately 2.7 Million in 2021. South Asian Americans Leading Together reported that almost 5.4 million South Asians now live in America. in the U.S. — up from the 3.5 million counted in 2010. The majority of people in the 2010 census can be traced back to Bangladesh and Bhutan, India Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal.
In the last three years, many colleges and universities have taken steps to ban caste discrimination.
Brandeis University in Boston was the first U.S. college that included caste in December 2019. in Its non-discrimination policy. California State University System and Colby College as well Brown University and University of California Davis have adopted similar policies. Harvard University established caste protections to protect student workers in It is a contract partner with the graduate student union.
The proposal Seattle Dalit-led organisations like Equality Labs, which are Dalit activist-led, have supported the measure. They say that caste discrimination It is a common feature in diaspora communities manifesting in The form of social isolation and discrimination in South Asians are key players in the sectors of education, housing and technology.
Groups such as the Hindu American Foundation or the Coalition of Hindus of North America are opposed to the proposed ordinance. They claim it unfairly targets a vulnerable community. discrimination in The U.S.
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