TELL CALIFORNIA: DON’T TARGET SOUTH ASIANS – OPPOSE CASTE BILL NOW!

URGENT!

The California government is attempting to legislate false, negative claims about vulnerable minority communities solely on the basis of their national origin, ethnicity and ancestry! SB-403 may appear to expand civil rights protections, but SB-403 is actually an unconstitutional, blatantly discriminatory bill that singles out and racially profiles people of South Asian origin and presumes this minority community is guilty of wrongdoing. Specifically, SB-403 would add caste as a separate non-discrimination category. This discriminatory legislation— imposed only on communities of color, including indigenous, South Asian, South American, Japanese and African descent — is antithetical to California’s purported commitment to protecting the rights of all residents.

TELL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS: OPPOSE SB.403!

SB-403 perpetuates harmful, negative stereotypes and misconceptions about South Asians, and specifically Indian and Hindu Americans, based on their national origin, ethnicity, and ancestry, making us targets for hate crimes, discrimination, harassment and bullying.

We are committed to ensuring civil rights and eliminating all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including discrimination based on caste. Similar to other intra-ethnic or intra-racial tensions, caste discrimination is also covered under existing broad, national origin and national origin adjacent categories. If and when incidents of caste discrimination occur, they should be brought to light, thoroughly investigated and rectified under existing law in its current form.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT WANTS TO DEFINE AND REGULATE CASTE

SB-403 would embolden the state government to legally define and regulate caste, a complicated concept which lacks a universally agreed upon definition and for which the government has no historical understanding. If SB-403 becomes law, the California state government will effectively be:

• Dividing the South Asian community by labeling all South Asians who identify as or are perceived to be Dalit and Adivasi as “oppressed”
• Labeling all South Asians who do not identify or are not perceived as Dalit or Adivasi as “oppressors” and automatically assume they are guilty of wrongdoing
• Force only South Asians to answer intrusive questions about who they are married to because the state has defined caste as relating to “endogamy”
• Require South Asians to be the only racial or ethnic group that must identify by “oppressed” or “oppressor”
• Impose a foreign nation’s law onto those working or residing in California

IF CASTE IS ALREADY COVERED, WHAT’S THE HARM?

Categories such as national origin, ethnicity and ancestry already bar discrimination on the basis of characteristics such as birthplace, culture, descent or linguistic characteristics. The variety of indigenous social identities SB-403 lumps together under the term “caste” is no different than factors related to national origin, ethnicity or ancestry in that “caste” can entail birthplace, culture, descent or linguistic characteristics.

The addition of “caste” is not only unnecessary with our current laws, but it is intentionally punishing and discriminating against only people of South Asian, South American, Japanese and African descent.  The addition of caste as a specific category unfairly and unconstitutionally singles out and targets only certain ethnic or racial communities with policies that presume guilt of wrongdoing.

ACT NOW – TELL CALIFORNIA TO OPPOSE SB-403!