Santa Clara County Must Institutionalize Protections Against Caste Discrimination

Hindus for Human Rights sent this letter to the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission on April 29th, 2021.

Attention: Santa Clara County Human Rights Commissioners & County Board of Supervisors

We are writing in support of caste-oppressed communities and to ask that caste-discrimination protections be made a priority in Santa Clara County.

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 applaud the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission for holding a public forum on caste-based discrimination. We stand with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, and the numerous community members who have urged Santa Clara County to prioritize caste-based discrimination.

We are disappointed that some community members have argued that openly discussing caste-based discrimination in workplaces and in schools would unfairly point fingers at all Hindus and Indians. We find such an argument deeply demeaning and insulting. As Hindus, our faith teaches us to value humility and growth, and to not shy away from self-critique when needed. The first step to ending caste-based discrimination in Santa Clara County is to acknowledge that it exists. The testimony of caste-oppressed individuals collected by organizations such as Equality Labs and Ambedkar King Study Circle is clear: caste-based discrimination is taking place in Santa Clara County, and existing legal frameworks are not sufficient to deal with this issue.

If Santa Clara County takes a strong stand on caste-based discrimination, that will only strengthen the work being done through the California State Student Association and the Alphabet Workers Union, who are fighting to ensure that caste is defined as a specific category of possible discrimination under existing civil rights laws. We also strongly suggest that corporations based in Santa Clara County mandate caste sensitivity training, similar to the way they train managers on race and gender discrimination issues and on sexual harassment.