California Legislators Hope to Ban Caste Discrimination in the Workplace

A bill banning caste-based discrimination in California workplaces is moving through the state legislature after the emergence of several high profile discrimination claims in Silicon Valley’s South Asian community. The claims were brought by Dalits, the most oppressed class in the social hierarchy determined by birth, who say they faced blatant prejudice from coworkers, and were punished when they tried to speak out. Opponents of the bill question the prevalence of caste discrimination in the United States and say the legal focus fuels negative stereotypes of South Asians and Hindus. We’ll talk to the lawmaker who wrote the bill and members of the South Asian community fighting for and against the law.

Guests:

Aisha Wahab, State Senator, from Hayward, CA

Sonia Paul, independent journalist covering caste in the United States; producer, audio documentary for BBC, "The Hidden Caste Codes of Silicon Valley"

Prem Pariyar, human relations commissioner, Alameda County

Suhag Shukla, executive director and co-founder, Hindu American Foundation

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