The Seattle City Council amended its anti-discrimination rules on Tuesday to include caste, making it the first city in the United States and the first outside of South Asia to approve a statute against caste discrimination.
In the United States, populations of South Asian ancestry have been more vocal in their calls to abolish caste-based discrimination. Caste is a system of grouping individuals based on birth or descent. However, some Hindu Americans have been opposing the campaign, claiming that the legislation unfairly targets their group.
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Tuesday’s boisterous meeting at Seattle City Hall resulted in a 6-1 vote, with the majority of the council agreeing that caste discrimination transcends national and religious lines and that people who experience it in the US will be left without rights if there are no laws protecting them.
The crowded room exposed the significant contrasts over this topic within the South Asian diaspora as it was filled to capacity with activists from both sides carrying banners, screaming slogans, and questioning speakers and municipal officials as they made their views. The ordinance was supported by the vast majority of people in attendance, with opposition coming from a vociferous minority.
Jai Bhim, a rallying cry used by supporters of BR Ambedkar, an influential figure in Indian Dalit rights whose real name was Bhimrao, was cheered when the council members voted in favor of the law. Caste discrimination, according to Dalit organizations and those who support them, is pervasive in US diaspora communities and takes the form of social exclusion and prejudice in the housing, education, and IT industries, where South Asians play important roles.
In response to the council’s vote, Yogesh Mane, a resident of Seattle who was raised as an untouchable in India, started crying.
“I’m emotional because this is the first time such an ordinance has been passed anywhere in the world outside of South Asia,” he noted. “It’s a historic moment.”
Thenmozhi Soundararajan, executive director of Oakland, California-based Equality Labs, whose advocacy work along with community partners continues to push caste discrimination laws forward, called the council vote “a culture war that has been won.”
She noted, “We got the support of over 200 organizations from Seattle and around the country.” She further added, “It’s a powerful message that Dalit people are not alone. The South Asian community has united to say we want to heal from the trauma of caste.”
Kshama Sawant, the only member of the City Council who is Indian American and a socialist, claimed that the legislation she authored does not single out any one group of people since caste discrimination cuts across national and religious boundaries. According to Sawant, the council received more than 4,000 emails supporting the regulation.
“We’ve heard hundreds of gut-wrenching stories over the last few weeks showing us that caste discrimination is very real in Seattle,” she explained.
Sara Nelson, the lone council member to vote against the proposal, agreed with critics and called it “a reckless, harmful solution to a problem for which we have no data or research.”
