TCN News
For the first time in the United States a Congressional Briefing on Caste Discrimination is going to be hosted on 22nd May at Washington DC.
The briefing will be an opportunity to highlight the issue of Caste discrimination in the United States – a growing problem within several American spaces and institutions. We will be sharing both quantitative data and anecdotal experiences of South Asian Americans who have been impacted by this problem.
Through this briefing the organizers aim to help Congressional staff understand the problem of Caste as well as offer solutions to help Congressional members to support Caste-oppressed Americans, businesses, and institutions in their districts.
The event is being hosted by Equality Labs, in partnership with South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and API Chaya, are hosting a historic.
Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Director of Equality Labs and co-author of the Caste in the United States report says “This is a historic briefing because it is the first time Caste discrimination in the United States is being acknowledged and being openly discussed by Congressional staffers. We will have representatives from all of the major progressive South Asian organizations. The briefing will also be hosted by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. We look forward to welcoming Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief of Staff and many more folks. We have community leaders from over fifteen states around the country who will be visiting their own constituency representatives after this briefing to share the findings. The road to this journey begins with Dr. Ambedkar and Mangu Ram Muggowalia. It is also powerful that this briefing was spearheaded by a Dalit feminist organization, Equality Labs, in an interfaith and inter caste partnership with SAALT (South Asian Americans leading together) and API Chaya from Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s home district. The briefing faces opposition from “upper” Caste organizations who have already tried to get the briefing cancelled. But Caste-oppressed people are a critical part of American progressive movements and our allies stood strong with us to make history. On the tail end of Dalit History Month and in Asian-American history, we have one glimmer of possibility..”
About Equality Labs
Equality Labs works at the intersection of education, art, community research, and technology to support South Asian religious, ethnic, and cultural minority movements dealing with intractable systems of oppression. Equality Labs is the first South Asian American human rights and technology start-up whose leadership is cantered around women, gender non-conforming, trans, and queer people. Find out more at https://www.equalitylabs.org/
For details on the congressional briefing contact: Thenmozhi Soundararajan | 347-927-0174 | [email protected]