Seattle City Council Passes Anti-Discrimination Laws for Castes

The Seattle City Council passed an ordinance on Feb. 21 to apply anti-discrimination laws to castes.
The ordinance passed 6-to-1 and, following the signature of Seattle City Council President Debora Juarez, goes to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell for his sign-off. Were it to get Harrell’s signature, Seattle would become the first city in the United States to ban discrimination against castes.
The ordinance would prohibit caste-based discrimination in the workplace, in housing and in places of accommodation, including public transportation, public restrooms, hotels and retailers.
Kshama Sawant, a 50-year-old Indian American socialist, proposed the measure. Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., became the first university in the United States to prohibit caste-based discrimination, doing so in 2019….}