On Thursday, the California State Senate took a step closer to outlawing caste-based discrimination in the state.
The law, which was approved by a vote of 34-1, will give individuals legal remedies to address allegations of caste bias and discrimination in housing, employment, education, and other circumstances.
The provisions of SB 403 specifically safeguard those who cast bigotry and prejudice.
Furthermore, it creates clear legal consequences for anyone who seeks to avoid accountability or obligations for endorsing or participating in caste-based violence.
Earlier this year, Seattle became the first US city to include caste protections in its anti-discrimination statutes, and several colleges and universities have followed suit.
Advocates for caste-oppressed people have stated that institutions and workplaces are unprepared to deal with caste bias, which has been recorded in recent years among South Asians in the United States.
The California law was presented in March by Democratic state senator Aisha Wahab, who said at the time that caste was a concern for her constituents in her district, which includes parts of the East Bay and Silicon Valley.
Wahab, an Afghan American, claimed that she had seen the toll caste took on other families while growing up in Fremont, a city in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
The bill was also supported by a coalition of organizations from various religious and caste backgrounds. The bill will be debated in the California State Assembly.
