Seattle Votes to Ban Caste Discrimination

Seattle Votes to Ban, Caste Discrimination.

On February 22, Seattle became the first city in the United States to ban discrimination based on caste following a vote to add it to the city's existing anti-discrimination laws.

On February 22, Seattle became the first city in the United States to ban discrimination based on caste following a vote to add it to the city's existing anti-discrimination laws.

'The Hill' reports that Seattle's city council voted 6-1 to pass the ordinance.

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Kshama Sawant, a member of the council, said that she proposed the ordinance to prevent an "invisible and unaddressed" type of discrimination.

Kshama Sawant, a member of the council, said that she proposed the ordinance to prevent an "invisible and unaddressed" type of discrimination.

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, Kshama Sawant, Seattle City Council member, via 'The Hill'.

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, Kshama Sawant, Seattle City Council member, via 'The Hill'.

'The Hill' reports that India's caste system was abolished in the late 1940s, but the 3,000-year-old form of discrimination continues to exist in some form today.

'The Hill' reports that India's caste system was abolished in the late 1940s, but the 3,000-year-old form of discrimination continues to exist in some form today.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the caste system exists in the United States, home to 2.7 million people who have immigrated from India.

Before the action by Seattle, colleges and universities took steps to address caste discrimination occurring on their campuses.

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Last year, the California State University System became the first in the country to update its discrimination policy to include caste.

In December 2022, Brown University became the first Ivy League school to also add caste to its discrimination policy.

Our nondiscrimination policies exist to ensure we’re protecting people and to ensure the University environment is free of hurt and harm.

We have a long-standing commitment to this work, and it is engrained into the fabric of who we are, Sylvia Carey-Butler, Brown Corporation’s Vice President of Institutional Equity and Diversity, via 'The Hill'