July 23, 2020
Namaste Dear Friend,
As July witnesses Hindus for Human Rights headed into the second year of its existence, we are grateful and excited to continue learning, growing, and advocating for equality. As racial equality thankfully remains at the forefront of national and international attention, it has involved a deeper look at the broader parallels between race and caste, and the ways in which advocating for Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi rights is fundamental to the work we do.
In her probing analysis of race and caste for the New York Times Magazine, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, Isabel Wilkerson, writes of three caste systems (defined as artificial, embedded, and often arbitrary rankings of human value) that have stood out throughout human history: the long-standing caste system in India; the now-vanquished caste system of Nazi Germany; and what Wilkerson concludes to be the "race-based caste pyramid" of the United States. Wilkerson then goes on to examine the parallels between caste in the U.S. and India, writing:
“[The U.S. and India's] hierarchies are profoundly different. And yet, as if operating from the same instruction manual translated to fit their distinctive cultures, both countries adopted similar methods of maintaining rigid lines of demarcation and protocols. Both countries kept their dominant caste separate, apart and above those deemed lower. Both exiled their Indigenous peoples — the Adivasi in India, the Native Americans in the United States — to remote lands and to the unseen margins of society. Both countries enacted an amalgam of laws to chain the lowliest group — Dalits in India (formerly known as the untouchables) and African-Americans in the United States — to the bottom, using terror and force to keep them there.”
Here, Wilkerson highlights the immense relevance of caste-based discrimination and violence, which HfHR has spoken out against passionately and continues to advocate against. Our caste-related work in the past month has involved:
The HfHR webinar on June 29th (Moderated by Shri A.S. Panneerselvan of The Hindu): "The State of Indian Democracy – A Dalit Perspective," where we speak with Thiru. Thol Thirumavalavan: Member of Parliament from Tamilnadu and leader of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (Liberation Panthers Party). Thiruma spoke on caste and reservations, atrocities against Dalits, his opposition to Hindutva ideology, surging violence against minorities, and what NRIs can do to help preserve India’s constitutionally guaranteed rights.
HfHR board of directors, working along with Advisory Board member Martin Macwan (co-founder of Navsarjan Trust and Dalit Shakti Kendra), has endorsed the call for removing the statue of Manu (who is considered to be the author of the Manusmriti), from the Rajasthan High Court. HfHR co-founder Raju Rajagopal has written an extensive post detailing the grounds of our endorsement, but ultimately, we stand by our fundamental belief that the Manusmriti details caste roles in a graphic, prejudiced, and unacceptable manner. The petition we have started on change.org to remove the statue has 3400 signatures and counting. We are hoping to reach 5000 signatures on this petition -- please add your name below!
HfHR has endorsed and advocated for Ambedkar King Study Circle's petition: "Solidarity Statement to End Caste Practices in Silicon Valley and the USA". The petition arose in response to the State of California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) suing Cisco Systems (a major supplier of computer networking gear) on June 30th for discriminating against an engineer employee for being Dalit. AKSC has taken initiative against practicing caste-based discrimination in the workplace, and HfHR wholeheartedly supports this statement of solidarity. Please view the petition below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cq2jLs3FNtZDNDL-PwRloczZjFdiCrEctWXDj5qAHiQ/edit
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An Appeal
Finally, please consider donating to RIGHTS, a Kerala-based Dalit rights NGO that HfHR partners with. RIGHTS has recently launched Bhim Online, an online education program that is in urgent need of funding. Please contribute to RIGHTS through HfHR by indicating that you would like your donations to go to the families aided by RIGHTS. Thank you so much.
** Upcoming Events |
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TODAY!!! On Thursday, July 23 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 10.30pm IST, Indian American Muslim Council, International Christian Concern, Students Against Hindutva Ideology, and Hindus for Human Rights will be organizing a Congressional Briefing on the U.S. Department of State's 2019 Annual Religious Freedom Report on India. Please join us for this urgent matter!
REGISTER here: https://tinyurl.com/IAMC-23July2020
On July 28, 5pm PT / 8pm ET / 5:30am IST, we will be holding a webinar in collaboration with Indian American Muslim Council and Jewish Voice for Peace: "Opposing Ethno-Nationalism, From India to Palestine." We will discuss the current situation in India, the importance of the startling parallels between India and Israel, and the ways in which we are mobilizing in both regions to stand up against fascism.
REGISTER here: https://tinyurl.com/y6rwj5cb
Please Join Us
As Always, Get Involved. We would love to hear from you — write to us. Volunteer. Start a chapter. Hold a birthday fundraiser and raise both awareness and money!
And of course, make a donation!
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We work to achieve justice and peace through compassion. We choose to have hope, and to work hard to turn our hopes for that better world into a reality. Please join us, strengthening the movement and helping us to work towards achieving lokasamgraha (the well-being of all).
—HfHR Board & Program and Communications Manager,
Deepak, Giri, Punya, Raju, Sunil, Sunita, Urmila
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