The first-ever lawsuit on caste bias in the US, related to a case against American tech major Cisco involving a Dalit employee, could probably snowball into a movement against caste discrimination in the country.
Organisations, such as the Ambedkar King Study Circle (AKSC), are currently rallying solidarity among tech workers to make caste bias more mainstream.
AKSC was established in 2016 to help people affect ed by caste discrimination in the US. Other organisations opposing discrimination include the American Ambedkarite Organisations, a coalition of six organisations. They are demanding an anti-caste framework.
The idea is to make caste bias a mainstream issue in the US and make workplaces more democratic, Karthikeyan Shanmugam, executive member, AKSC, and a member of Tech Workers Coalition (San Jose), California chapter, said.
Speaking to Moneycontrol, Shanmugam explained that while caste is deep-rooted in India, Americans are not aware of it and they see Indians as a monolithic group. “But that is not the case, is it,” he asked.
Through this initiative, AKSC attempts to educate the caste hierarchy to the Americans and bring to the fore the inherent bias -- through testimonies of people who are affected by caste bias, both socially and professionally, in the US.
What happened in the Cisco case? On June 30, the California department of fair employment and housing filed a caste bias lawsuit against Cisco on behalf of a Dalit employee. The case was filed against two of his superiors.
The employee could not get any relief from the company despite filing a complaint as early as 2016. The human resources department could not take any action on grounds of caste discrimination since it was not unlawful in the US.
Need for policy to address caste bias in the US While discrimination on the basis of race is well-defined, one on the basis of caste is not. Hence, it is not unlawful. This would mean that companies, too, might not have a separate policy that addresses caste bias.
“This could probably be the first reported case in the court. More people could be victims,” Shanmugam said. “By showing solidarity, we want tech companies to be more sensitive to the issue,” Shanmugam said.
This is important since close to 25 percent workers in Silicon Valley are Indians, according to a study. There is no data on the percentage of Dalits in the US. However, a report by Equality Labs on caste in the US reveals that Dalits represent an average 15-18 percent population in some countries in South Asia.
In a statement, AKSC, said: “We, therefore, appeal to all American companies, including those in Silicon Valley, to be sensitive to the ubiquitous caste practices and caste-based discrimination.”
“We urge them to recognise caste as operating similarly to race and gender as a source of discrimination and harassment and incorporate caste practices as unfair and punishable practice in their human resources policies,” the statement added.
The association has also urged the California State agency to use this opportunity to have legal protection in place for Dalits.
The coalition of American Ambedkarite Organisations said in a statement: "We demand private corporations and publicly funded organisations to fully embrace an anti-caste framework in their work ethic."
"Caste- centric policy will not only help Indian American citizens but also to global offices where caste has transported with South Asian employees," the statement added.
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