California Governor Gavin Newsom Vetoes Bill to Ban Caste Discrimination
October 7, 2021
California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that aimed to ban caste discrimination in the state. The bill, which had been passed by the state legislature, would have made California the first U.S. state to explicitly outlaw caste discrimination.
Governor Newsom justified his veto by stating that existing laws already prohibited ancestry discrimination, making a separate legislation unnecessary. However, activists who had been advocating for the bill see this as a major setback.
The legislation aimed to address the caste system prevalent in South Asian and Hindu immigrant communities. While U.S. discrimination laws ban ancestry discrimination, they do not explicitly mention caste. The bill aimed to add caste as a protected class to the state’s existing anti-discrimination laws.
The bill was introduced by Democratic state Senator Aisha Wahab, an Afghan American, in March. It underwent revisions before being passed by California’s state Assembly in August and the state Senate in September with near unanimous support.
Activists argue that caste discrimination is no different from other forms of discrimination, such as racism, and should be outlawed. However, opponents of the bill in California claim that since U.S. laws already prohibit ancestry discrimination, legislation specific to caste becomes redundant and stigmatizes the entire community, mostly Hindus and South Asians.
Until Newsom’s veto, the movement to fight caste discrimination in North America had been gaining momentum. Seattle became the first U.S. city to ban caste discrimination earlier this year, followed by Fresno, which became the second U.S. city to do so. Toronto’s school board also recognized the existence of caste discrimination in the city’s schools.
The issue of caste discrimination is particularly significant to Americans of Indian descent and Hindus. With the increasing number of Indians and South Asians settling in the U.S., especially in California and Silicon Valley, major technology companies have also had to confront the issue.
Many U.S. tech firms, including Alphabet, Microsoft, and IBM, are headed by leaders of Indian origin. Despite India outlawing caste discrimination over 70 years ago, studies have shown that bias and underrepresentation of lower castes persist.
Dalits, the lowest rung of the Hindu caste system, continue to face widespread abuse and hindrances to upward social mobility in India. However, some argue that discrimination is now rare, especially outside of India. Indian government policies, such as reserving seats for lower-caste students at top Indian universities, have helped many secure tech jobs in the West.
The debate over the caste system is contentious and intertwined with religion. It remains a complex issue that requires further examination and discussion.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington DC; edited by Grant McCool.