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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Opinion-Stand-up-against-caste-discrimination-15485379.php

 

Opinion: Stand up against caste discrimination against Dalits in Texas

 

 

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MAari Zwick-Maitreyi

Aug. 16, 2020Updated: Aug. 27, 2020 2:11 p.m.

 

 

FILE- In this Aug. 15, 2016 file photo, hundreds of members of India's low-caste Dalit community gather for a rally in Una, Gujarat state, India as they protest after four men belonging to the Dalit community were beaten while trying to skin a dead cow in western India. The brutal beating of four men from the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy, attacked for skinning a dead cow, has highlighted the persisting power of caste, 65 years after caste prejudice was banned in India. Dalits _ as "untouchables" are now called _ are increasingly signaling that they will no longer tolerate such bigotry, with an emerging class of educated and empowered young Dalits refusing to be cowed by the centuries-old discrimination, triggering deadly violence. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)Ajit Solanki/STF

Houston is the former home of the late Dr. Raj Kamble, a leading anti-caste activist and beloved figure in the international community of Dalits — those branded as “untouchable.” He experienced caste-based discrimination throughout his life but fought back and spoke out around the globe and throughout a 40-year career. . On this second anniversary of his death, his legacy and commitment to Dalit freedom continues to inspire caste-oppressed people and our allies to stand up for justice and speak out against caste discrimination.

Caste is a system of exclusion that affects more than 260 million people worldwide, determining every aspect of their lives from employment to relationships and religion. Caste was established in Hindu scripture where at birth, every child inherits his or her ancestor’s caste, which determines social status and assigns “spiritual purity” in a hierarchy. The Brahmins are the priestly caste who are the top and benefit the most from caste while Dalits are sentenced to the bottom of this system and have endured centuries of repression. Although banished under Indian law, the systemic discrimination continues — in India and in South Asian communities in nations all over the world, including here in the United States. and we face segregation, exclusion and violence compounded by a punishing culture of impunity and silence.

Many of us from caste-oppressed backgrounds suffer the effects of caste in our everyday lives. The recent lawsuit filed by California against Cisco, alleging caste-based discrimination has inspired many Americans of South Asian descent in Texas to speak up about caste oppression in our state. Our experiences confirm findings in the Equality Labs survey on caste in the United States. Discrimination based on caste is a harsh reality among South Asians in America. Caste affects not only professional opportunities, but also relationships, community institutions and places of worship.

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The survey reports that 1 in 4 Dalits have faced physical and verbal assault in the United States. In Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, community members have reported being subjected to caste-related insults by dominant caste people in public.We need our fellow South Asians to do better.

Two out of three Dalits have experienced workplace discrimination. These testimonies reveal dominant caste people will openly boast about their caste privilege and supposed “biological superiority” while using slurs to diminish Dalits. Many Dalits resort to hiding their identities, because if their caste is discovered, they face demotions, harassment and even termination, which in turn can mean losing a hard-won H1-B visa. For these reasons and more many stay silent, particularly since many human resources departments lack cultural competencies in caste and are not equipped to identify and stop caste discrimination. In this scenario, the Cisco case is critical because it identifies employment discrimination. Since the Cisco case broke, Equality Labs has received an additional 250 complaints of caste discrimination among employees from many more tech companies in the U.S.

Our report also shows that over 40 percent of Dalit and caste-oppressed respondents felt discriminated against in American educational institutions. Testimonies reveal that such prejudice often manifests as caste-based derogatory jokes and slurs, housing discrimination and visible hatred toward caste-oppressed and indigenous people of South Asia.

Caste-oppressed students who have seized opportunities offered by India’s affirmative action programs (meant to redress centuries of historical wrongs committed against caste-oppressed and Indigenous South Asians) face a special stigma. On American campuses, these policies are used against Dalits to shame, disregard and exclude them, plus prevent their professional advancement. Many hide their caste position because they do not want their competency to be questioned — especially within alumni networks dominated by the privileged castes.

Discrimination also runs rampant among young families. According to a Dalit mother in Austin, when her children revealed that they were caste-oppressed Buddhists, mothers in dominant caste families no longer invited her children to playdates. Dalit families are often shunned by those of the dominant caste and often end up building relationships outside the South Asian American community or with other caste-oppressed communities. It is a double isolation, for the pain of migration includes both the pain of leaving our homeland but also of exclusion from the broader Indian American community. Many Dalits want to protect their children from caste-related biases, which makes them leave these networks all together.

Religious institutions may seem like spaces safe from this kind of discrimination — but not everybody feels welcome. Caste has its origin in Hindu scripture, yet is found in all South Asian faiths. As a result, Dalit people report varying forms of religious discrimination, including physical violence and not being allowed entry into dominant caste led temples, churches and gurdwaras.

Casteist practices also invade personal relationships. No matter how deeply people might deny that they harbor bias, caste is one of the first criteria people mention when looking for a partner. Intercaste romantic relationships are often met with severe objections.

Dalits and other caste-oppressed people often report being rejected by their partners because their families refuse to accept them. Sometimes, Dalits are dismissed outright, even before a possibility of romance can be entertained. Progressive South Asian people might in one breath talk about racial justice yet in another talk about the need for “good family” backgrounds, “wheatish” complexions and how lucky they are because their partner is not Dalit or Adivasi or something horrible like that.

Can you imagine how I feel as a Dalit person when I hear these things?

The Ambedkar International Mission paved the way for Dalit American civil rights groups like Equality Labs, Ambedkar Association of North America and the powerful Ambedkarite Buddhist Association of Texas. Caste-oppressed Texans and our allies are standing up all over the state to call out networks of caste privilege.

The groundbreaking Cisco case has high stakes for Texas as South Asian Americans have emerged as an influential voting bloc. Texas candidates of South Asian descent are running for county, state and federal office this year— including Sri Preston Kulkarni and Donna Imam, who are vying to become among the first South Asian American members of Congress from Texas. In such an environment, caste and religious biases must be addressed.

As we speak out about caste discrimination, South Asian politicians in Texas and throughout America must address this critical issue. South Asian Americans have a responsibility not only to address historical wrongs in the United States but also to acknowledge the violence of caste perpetuated in our communities today. We cannot show up for justice for others when we have unfinished wrongs in our own community to tackle. We ask all people of conscience to rise up with us. Start by breaking the silence and learning more about caste.

Finally, we ask all organizers to sign the petition and stand with caste-oppressed Americans today. Each of these steps supports the national movement to have caste designated as a protected category in our civil and human rights laws. Together, we can work together to end caste bias and discrimination in our communities today.

Zwick-Maitreyi is the research director of Equality Labs, an Ambedkarite South Asian power-building organization.