HfHR Thanks CSU Board of Trustees for Implementing Caste Protections

Hindus for Human Rights sent this letter to the California State University Board of Trustees on January 20, 2022.

Dear CSU Chancellor Castro, Board of Trustees, and CFA President,

We are writing to thank you for adding caste to California State University’s anti-discrimination policy. In taking this historic step to affirm the safety and well-being of caste-oppressed students across your 23 campuses, CSU has joined higher education institutions across the country, including Brandeis University, Colby College, Carleton University, and the University of California, Davis.

Hindus for Human Rights is a US-based nonprofit nonpartisan organization founded in 2019. We advocate for pluralism and civil and human rights in South Asia and North America, rooted in the values of our Hindu faith: shanti (peace), nyaya (justice) and satya (truth). We provide a Hindu voice of resistance to caste, Hindutva (Hindu authoritarianism), racism, and all forms of bigotry and oppression.

We practice our Hindu faith by rejecting caste entirely, and by insisting that all of us, regardless of race, religion, caste, or gender, are equally deserving of dignity and justice.

We believe the first step to ending caste-based discrimination in our communities is to acknowledge that it exists.  We are disappointed that some Hindu American community members argue that openly discussing caste-based discrimination would unfairly point fingers at all Hindu Americans and Indian Americans. We find such an argument deeply demeaning. As Hindus, our faith teaches us to value humility and growth, and to not shy away from self-critique when needed. 

We thank you for listening to the multi-caste and multi-faith coalition of CSU students and community organizations such as Equality Labs who have been fighting for this policy change.