{"id":56632,"date":"2023-02-22T09:41:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T17:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=56632"},"modified":"2023-02-22T09:42:08","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T17:42:08","slug":"laa000038847","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=56632","title":{"rendered":"Seattle City Council Passes First Law in US Banning Caste Discrimination"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_66 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_66\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_67 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_67\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2023-02-21T18:14:20-08:00\">Feb 21, 2023<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_68 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_68\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The vote came after 90 minutes of public comment from speakers on both sides of the issue. Opponents say they will explore legal avenues to overturn the law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_69 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_69\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"caste vote\" src=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265-300x135.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265-1024x461.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265-768x346.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265-150x68.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265-696x313.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/caste-vote-e1677032661265-1068x481.jpeg 1068w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"540\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">(Twitter photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_70 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_70\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Following 90 minutes of public comments from passionate speakers on both sides of the issue, the Seattle, Washington City Council Feb. 21 made history as it passed the first law in the nation banning caste discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>The measure passed on a 6-1 vote, with Council President Deborah Juarez abstaining. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell must now sign off on the resolution.<\/p>\n<p>The Council chamber was filled with people waving signs and shouting over council members as they spoke. Seattle City Council President pro-tempore Tammy Morales asked the audience three times to refrain from protesting, threatening once to clear the chamber until the vote was taken.<\/p>\n<p>The resolution, CB 120511 \u2014 sponsored by council member Kshama Sawant \u2014 adds caste as a protected class to the city\u2019s existing municipal code. Seattle currently has one of the broadest codes on protected classes.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Discrimination is Real\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI grew up in a Brahmin family, so I never experienced caste discrimination, unlike so many of my South Asian brothers and sisters,\u201d said Sawant, speaking before the vote was taken. \u201cBut I want to live in a society free of oppression. Let\u2019s be clear: caste discrimination is here in Seattle. It is real, and existing law does not protect people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope we can serve as a beacon to other cities across the country and around the world,\u201d said Sawant, who identifies as a socialist. She noted that the measure had received suppport from numerous organizations, and from writers Arundhati Roy, Noam Chomsky, and Cornel West. Ahead of the city council meeting, supporters held a noon rally to draw attention to the issue. People opposing the measure also showed up at the rally, which threatened to get violent at points, but was contained.<\/p>\n<p>The lone dissenter was city council member Sara Nelson, who said that existing protections, which include ancestry, protect people from caste discrimination. \u201cThis is reckless and unnecessary,\u201d she said, adding that the city council had not been provided with any data on the extent of caste-based discrimination in the region.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Racist Stereotypes\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe caste system was abolished in India in 1950. I\u2019m not saying caste discrimination does not exist, just that we have no data,\u201d said Nelson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis resolution exposes Indians to racist stereotypes and could generate more discrimination against the community, including employers simply not hiring South Asians because of potential concerns,\u201d said the city council woman.<\/p>\n<p>Seattle is a tech hub, with many workers and employers of Indian origin. Supporters of the resolution say that Dalits \u2014 once referred to as untouchables \u2014 face discrimination at the workplace by other Indian Americans and are often denied raises and promotions because of their caste affiliation.<\/p>\n<p>Many who spoke during the public comment period said they have had to hide their identity at the workplace. Sawant likened it to discrimination against the LGBTQIA community, who often remain closeted at their places of work.<\/p>\n<h2>Bill Amended<\/h2>\n<p>Council member Lisa Herbold added an amendment to the resolution, which would require the city to document the stories of Dalits who say they have faced discrimination. The amendment also passed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaste discrimination transcends religious and geographic boundaries. This resolution does not single out Hindus,\u201d said Herbold, responding to Nelson\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n<p>Seattle city council legislative analyst Asha Venkataraman told council members that $185,000 would have to be added to the City\u2019s budget to support one full time employee who would liaise with local businesses to inform them about the resolution. An additional $100,000 would be needed for the city to update existing outreach materials. The funds would be made available next year.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Politics Over Principles\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, which opposed the measure, told Ethnic Media Services she was deeply disappointed. \u201cPolitics won over principles,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were hateful and false stereotypes that this proposal was based upon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shukla said that HAF is exploring all legal avenues, including a possible lawsuit against the city. \u201cIt is unconstitutional to target a single ethnic group,\u201d she said, noting the impact the resolution will have on Hindu Americans potentially being painted as racists. \u201cSawant has unleashed a torrent of hatred towards a minority community.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Love Wins\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Themozhi Soundararajan, co-founder of Equality Labs, which organized support for the resolution, told Ethnic Media Services: \u201cLove has won over hate as Seattle becomes the first city in the nation to ban caste discrimination. Thank you to the 200 organizations who stood with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are united as South Asian Americans in our commitment to heal from caste oppression. First Seattle, then the nation,\u201d said Soundararajan, a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Feb 21, 2023 The&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56632"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56634,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56632\/revisions\/56634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}