NEW SEATTLE CITY COUNCILMEMBER KSHAMA SAWANT, MAY 3, 2022. AP.
Seattle has become the first U.S. city to ban discrimination based on caste.
The move addresses an issue that affects many South Asian Americans, particularly those with Indian and Hindu backgrounds.
- Seattle's city council voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, which was sponsored by Councilwoman Kshama Sawant.
- Sawant said that discrimination based on caste is encountered by "South Asian American and other immigrant working people in their workplaces, including in the tech sector."
- She emphasized that the battle against discrimination based on caste is "deeply connected to the fight against all forms of oppression."
- The nonprofit Asian Counseling and Referral Service supported the ban and said discrimination based on caste is "a pervasive, worldwide issue."
- India's caste system dates back thousands of years and separates Hindu people into rigid hierarchical groups.
- The practice persists in India despite being banned by the country's government over 70 years ago.
