The Assembly Judiciary Committee of California recently held a hearing for Senate Bill 403 (SB403), aiming to address caste discrimination, as reported by ABC10. If approved, California would be the first state in the US to explicitly outlaw caste-based discrimination by including caste as a protected category under the state’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, fair housing laws, and employment laws.
The bill has been successfully passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee and will now progress to the Appropriations Committee. If it also receives approval from the Appropriations Committee, the bill will move to the Assembly floor for a comprehensive vote.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, Asian Americans, constituting 15% of the state’s population, include approximately one million individuals of South Asian descent, such as Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, and Bhutanese.
California State Senator Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the state legislature, introduced the bill in March to explicitly ban caste discrimination.
Meanwhile, Seattle became the first city outside India to enforce a law banning caste-based discrimination. This landmark legislation marked a significant step in combating caste discrimination globally, extending beyond South Asia.
Some members of the Indian American community are concerned that incorporating caste in public policy may exacerbate instances of Hinduphobia in the US. In recent years, Hindu temples and statues, including those of Mahatma Gandhi and Maratha emperor Shivaji, have been targeted and vandalized in the US, causing distress among the Hindu community.
Indian Americans represent the second-largest immigrant group in the United States.
