Seattle on Tuesday became the first US city to outlaw caste discrimination after the local council voted to include caste in the city’s antidiscrimination laws.
The move addresses an issue important to the region’s South Asian diaspora, particularly the Indian and Hindu communities. India’s caste system is one of the world’s oldest forms of rigid social stratification.
“Fighting caste discrimination is closely related to fighting all forms of oppression,” said Kshama Sawant, an Indian-American Seattle City Councilman.
The caste system dates back thousands of years and grants many privileges to the upper castes but oppresses the lower castes. The Dalit community is at the bottom tier of India’s Hindu caste system and has been treated as “untouchables”.
“Caste discrimination doesn’t just happen in other countries. It’s facing South Asian Americans and other migrant workers in their workplaces, including in the technology sector, in Seattle and in cities across the country,” Sawant said when her office unveiled a proposal to ban caste discrimination in Seattle.
Seattle Councilman Kshama Sawant addresses supporters and opponents of a proposed regulation to expand Seattle’s antidiscrimination laws by one caste at a rally at Seattle City Hall
The caste system dates back thousands of years and grants many privileges to the upper castes but oppresses the lower castes
People celebrate the passage of an ordinance to add one caste to Seattle’s antidiscrimination laws in the Seattle City Council chambers
Caste discrimination was outlawed in India over 70 years ago, but prejudice persists according to several studies in recent years, including one that found that people from lower castes were underrepresented in higher-paying jobs.
Although India has outlawed untouchability, Dalits still face widespread abuse across the country, where their attempts at social advancement have at times been violently repressed.
The debate over the hierarchy of the caste system is contentious in India and abroad, with the issue intertwined with religion. Some people say that discrimination is rare today. The Indian government’s policy of reserving places for lower-caste students at India’s top universities has helped many land-tech jobs in the West in recent years.
Activists 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 descent, but do not specifically prohibit casteism.
Tensions within the community were visible Tuesday at Seattle City Hall when a raucous hearing culminated in a 6-1 vote, with the majority of the council agreeing that caste discrimination transcended national and religious lines.
Without such laws, those affected by caste discrimination in the US have no legal rights or protections, they agreed.
The crowded room, which crammed with activists from both sides carrying banners, chanting slogans, challenging speakers and city officials as they made their comments, exposed clear divisions within the South Asian diaspora on the issue.
Activists 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, try to point to the center to holler during a rally at Seattle City Hall over a proposed regulation that would add one caste to Seattle’s anti-discrimination laws
A majority of those present in the council chambers were in favor of the ordinance, and a vocal minority opposed it.
As council members voted in favor of the ordinance, the chamber erupted in cheers of “Jai Bhim,” meaning “victory for Bhim,” a rallying cry adopted by supporters of BR Ambedkar, an Indian Dalit rights icon given the name Bhimrao became.
Dalit groups and their supporters say caste discrimination is rife in US diaspora communities, manifesting itself in the form of social alienation and discrimination in the housing, education and technology sectors, where South Asians play key roles.
Yogesh Mane, a Seattle resident who grew up an untouchable in India, broke down in tears upon hearing the council’s decision.
“I’m emotional because this is the first time such an ordinance has been issued 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 speak out about things that are wrong.”
Thenmozhi Soundararajan, executive director of Oakland, Calif.-based Equality Labs, whose lobbying work with community partners continues to advance caste-discrimination laws, called the council vote “a culture war that was won.”
“We’ve received support from over 200 organizations in Seattle and across the country,” she said. “It is a strong message that the Dalit are not alone. The South Asian community has come together to say we want to heal the trauma of caste.’
People are reacting to the passage of an ordinance to add a caste to Seattle’s antidiscrimination laws in the Seattle City Council chambers