A invoice in search of to explicitly ban caste-primarily based totally discrimination in California cleared its first legislative hurdle on Wednesday after the kingdom`s senate judiciary committee unanimously determined to transport the draft regulation to the senate.
This marks the primary time a US kingdom legislature considers a invoice on caste, the modern day in a string of actions that has spotlighted the dynamics of caste in America. The invoice, SB 403, became added final month with the aid of using kingdom Senator Aisha Wahab who stated caste discrimination became a social justice and civil rights issue.
“Caste is an invisible shackle located on humans at birth. Those people now no longer raised in that gadget can`t in all likelihood recognize what it does to one`s psyche, the inter-generational trauma it causes,” Wahab stated.
The improvement got here months after Seattle have become the primary American town to explicitly ban caste-primarily based totally bias in employment, housing, public delivery and retail establishments, amongst others. If SB 403 passed, California may want to come to be the primary kingdom withinside the US to comply with suit.
“I am pleased to mention California is properly on its manner to turning into the primary U.S. kingdom to realize our popularity as people and redefine caste fairness protections,” stated Thenmozhi Soundarajan, founder and govt director of Equality Labs, an anti-caste advocacy group.
But the improvement additionally sparked competition from a few Hindu groups, who stated the invoice will gasoline hate in opposition to Hindus. “We worry the invoice will inspire non secular profiling and stereotyping of a minority. We agree with it advances baseless hateful narratives in opposition to those groups with the aid of using legalising a presumption of guilt and turns a long-status bedrock precept of American justice on its head,” stated a joint assertion of establishments led with the aid of using Coalition of Hindus of North America.
