Caste discrimination banned by Seattle in a ‘historic’ first

Seattle has become the first city in the United States to ban caste discrimination, following a city council vote on 21 February. The city council of Seattle, in the northwestern state of Washington, voted 6-1 in favour of the ban. It applies to employment, housing, public transport and retail establishments.

Indian American council member Kshama Sawant introduced the legislation. And following its success, she described the victory as “historic”:

It’s official: our movement has WON a historic, first-in-the-nation ban on caste discrimination in Seattle! Now we need to build a movement to spread this victory around the country ✊ pic.twitter.com/1mBJ1W3v6j

— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) February 22, 2023

Ashok Swain, a professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, said this is the first such ban outside of South Asia.

Widespread praise

India’s Hindu caste system, which dates back thousands of years, divides society into a rigid hereditary hierarchy based on a belief in so-called upper-caste purity, with Dalits on the lowest rung facing discrimination and violence. Activists say caste-based discrimination has followed the South Asian diaspora to the United States. As a result, Dalit rights groups have lauded the ban.

The Ambedkar International Center echoed Sawant in saying the ban was “historic”:

Landmark. Historic. Monumental. pic.twitter.com/3UXvhjokzG

— Ambedkar International Center (AIC) (@ambedkar_center) February 22, 2023

Thenmozhi Soundararajan, head of Equality Labs and who tweets as Dalit Diva, said “love has won over hate”:

Love has won over hate as Seattle has become the first in the nation to ban caste discrimination. We have braved rape threats, death threats, disinformation, and bigotry. Thank you to the 200 organizations who stood with us! Thank you to the 30 caste oppressed civil rights… pic.twitter.com/Tam5tdNOjc

— Dalit Diva (@dalitdiva) February 22, 2023

While Dalit-run online magazine The Dalit Voice thanked Sawant for the victory:

The Seattle City Council on Tuesday added caste to the city’s anti-discrimination laws, becoming the first U.S. city to ban caste discrimination and the first in the world to pass such a law outside South Asia.

Thank You @cmkshama pic.twitter.com/PncfiTJ4rH

— The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) February 22, 2023

Caste discrimination worldwide

When Sawant’s office introduced the legislation in January, she said:

Caste discrimination doesn’t only take place in other countries. It is faced by South Asian American and other immigrant working people in their workplaces, including in the tech sector, in Seattle and in cities around the country.

With over 167,000 people from South Asia living in Washington, largely concentrated in the Greater Seattle area, the region must address caste discrimination, and not allow it to remain invisible and unaddressed.

In California’s Silicon Valley, tech giant Cisco is facing a caste discrimination lawsuit brought by a former worker. The worker has made allegations of bias against him due to his low caste status.

Caste discrimination also affects South Asian communities in the UK. Dalit Solidarity Network (DSN) UK said this manifests as a denial of goods and services, withholding of rental accommodation, and lack of action on complaints about workplace harassment. There is currently no specific legislation against caste discrimination in the UK, an oversight the government itself has noted. DSN-UK has campaigned for its inclusion in the Equality Act 2010 since the law was first implemented.

Featured image via Seattle Channel/YouTube

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse