Fresno becomes second US city to ban caste discrimination

Fresno, California, has become the second city in the US after Seattle, Washington, to ban caste discrimination, after the City Council voted unanimously to incorporate two new protected categories into its municipal code.

In the midst of a nationwide civil rights movement, led mostly by South Asian Americans, a bill currently awaits California Gov Gavin Newsom’s signature to explicitly ban caste discrimination statewide.

“I’m proud of our City for once again, raising the bar on civil rights protections,” Fresno City Council Vice President Annalisa Perea said in a press release after the 7-0 vote Thursday.

“While we acknowledge that discrimination won’t end overnight, our City took bold action by passing this anti-discrimination policy to strengthen civil rights protections against caste discrimination.”

“It is an honor and a dream to have brought freedom for so many peoples in Fresno with this historic win,” Amar Daroch, a Fresno resident and president of the local Sikh temple, Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha, said in a news release. “There are so many of us who are survivors of global caste systems.”

The measure was also championed by Indigenous Oaxacans in Fresno, who spoke out about their experiences with discrimination in Mexican communities.

Fresno’s measure comes as caste equity leaders embark on the third week of a hunger strike to push Newsom to sign Senate Bill 403, which would add caste to the state’s anti-discrimination policy. On an all-liquid diet, they say they will continue until the bill becomes law, which could be as late as Oct 14.

“I am fasting as a reminder of how important this bill is to my two daughters,” Nirmal Singh, 42, a lead organizer of the Californians for Caste Equity coalition, said in the release. “I cannot live in this state knowing that caste discrimination can continue unabated. We fast now for all those who have not been able to speak out.”

Last January, California State University (CSU) became the first university system in the US to add caste to its anti-discrimination policy.

The genesis of the CSU’s decision began in March 2021, when a student body at California Polytechnic demanded that it and the CSU include the Indian caste system in their anti-discriminatory policy.

A month later, Alphabet Workers Union demanded that caste be included in the Google parent company’s anti-discrimination policy and be integrated into their equity practices.