The bill, which will go to the State Assembly for consideration, follows in the footsteps of Seattle, the first US city to pass legislation banning caste-based discrimination, and all California State Universities, which added caste to its anti-discrimination policy in 2022.
The California State Senate in the USA has passed a bill banning caste-based discrimination, bringing the state closer to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of caste. According to the reports by The Indian Express, the bill, which was approved by the Senate with a 34-1 vote, will next go to the State Assembly for consideration.
Earlier this year, Seattle became the first US city to pass legislation banning caste-based discrimination, with the city council voting 6-1. Last year, all California State Universities, the largest public university system in the US, added caste to its anti-discrimination policy.
A 2018 report by Equality Labs, which formed the basis of the Seattle City Council legislation, showed that in the US, 25% of Dalits surveyed experienced verbal or physical assault based on their caste, one in three Dalit students reported being discriminated against during their education, two out of three Dalits reported being treated unfairly in the workplace, 60% of Dalits faced derogatory caste-based jokes, 40% of Dalits and 14% of Shudras were made to feel unwelcome in places of worship, and 20% of Dalits felt discriminated against at places of business.
Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who lobbied for a ban on caste-based discrimination and introduced the bill in the city council, said that the victory in Seattle had spurred the California Senate development and created momentum across the US.
Sawant pointed out that there has been an awareness around caste discrimination over the last couple of years in the US and various movements have sprung up in North America. Activists in British Columbia in Canada are also pushing their government to institute a ban on caste-based discrimination.
Sawant said that the California legislation is particularly significant as across the country, in places where there is a substantial South Asian population, such as in California, groups such as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) - the international arm of the RSS - have emerged.
Sawant added that the movement was gathering momentum in areas with a significant South Asian population. According to a 2021 article by the Migration Policy Institute, as of 2019, there were 14.1 million immigrants from Asia residing in the United States, representing a 29-fold increase from 1960.