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Document Type

Video

Date

4-28-2023

Abstract

A historic bill aims to ban prejudice based on caste system, practiced for centuries in the Indian subcontinent, in the state of California - proposed by State Senator Aisha Wahab.

Californians for Caste Equity - SB 403 - the state's Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the legislation, sending it on to the next committee for consideration. If passed, the bill could make California the first state in the nation to make caste bias illegal by adding it as a protected category in the state's anti-discrimination laws.

The bill was proposed by State Senator Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the state legislature. She introduced the bill in March 2023.

A recent hearing showed how contentious the issue has been in the South Asian community, with hundreds of supporters and opponents gathering outside the state Capitol.

Comments

Thenmozhi Soundararajan is a Dalit American artist, community organizer, technologist, and theorist. Currently, Thenmozhi is the Executive Director of Equality Labs, which she co-founded. Equality Labs is the largest Dalit civil rights organization working to empower caste-oppressed people in the US and globally. The phonetic pronunciation of Thenmozhi is Ten-Maury.

Dr. Mary J. Lomax-Ghirarduzzi is a national scholar and leader on race, equity leadership, and faith-informed social justice. Currently, she serves as the inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and professor in the Department of Communication at University of the Pacific.

Hosted by: Center for Identity and Inclusion and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion University of the Pacific

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