Tech Workers for Caste Equity supports Seattle ordinance to ban caste discrimination
February 12, 2023—Tech Workers for Caste Equity is a collective of tech workers dedicated to ensuring caste equity in every tech workplace and on every tech platform. Our members come from many large and small tech companies in Silicon Valley and across the United States. We strongly support the ordinance to ban caste discrimination in Seattle introduced by Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
Discrimination against caste-oppressed people is a reality in the U.S. Caste is a system of oppression and is rampant throughout many American institutions. According to Equality Labs' research about the experiences of caste-oppressed people in the U.S., 2 out of 3 Dalits face caste discrimination in their workplace, 1 in 3 Dalits face caste-based discrimination at their university, and 1 in 4 Dalits face physical and verbal assault because of their caste.
Caste discrimination also occurs in tech workplaces. Caste discrimination in tech workplaces can take many forms, including unfair peer reviews, attempts from coworkers to "out" a caste-oppressed employee's caste (disclose their caste to others), discriminatory hiring processes, caste-based slurs or derogatory language, and negative remarks about caste-based affirmative action policies.
In the face of harrowing caste exclusion and bias, tech workers around the world are speaking up about casteism and hostile workplaces. In 2020, a Dalit tech worker at Cisco courageously gave testimony about the caste discrimination that he was experiencing in his California workplace. His testimony led to the historic lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Cisco for caste-based discrimination. This lawsuit marks the first time in U.S. history that any U.S. institution is being held accountable for caste-based discrimination. In the wake of this lawsuit, more than 250 Dalits from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, and dozens of other Silicon Valley companies came forward to report discrimination, bullying, ostracism, and even sexual harassment from dominant caste colleagues. Additionally, 30 Dalit women engineers released a powerful statement about the casteism and misogyny that they've experienced and witnessed in their careers. As caste-oppressed workers have bravely shared their experiences publicly, the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) and other organizations have joined in solidarity with them and demanded that caste-based discrimination be addressed in the U.S.
As tech workers, we ourselves have observed bigoted and casteist comments and actions in our companies. For example, in 2022, Google cancelled a talk that Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Executive Director of Equality Labs, was scheduled to give on the topic of caste in newsrooms. Google cancelled her talk less than a week before it was scheduled to occur because bigoted employees claimed that discussing caste discrimination was itself bigoted. The cancellation of this talk led to Thenmozhi, a Dalit herself, experiencing extremely toxic and casteist abuse online. The extreme and relentless abuse that Thenmozhi experienced indicates the hostility that caste-oppressed tech workers often face when talking about their experiences with caste in their companies. Casteist comments and actions contribute to a hostile workplace environment for our caste-oppressed coworkers. Had these comments and actions occurred in India, some of them would be grounds for legal action under India's SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, but without a legal framework in the United States, victims continue to suffer in silence.
Caste and caste discrimination may be new topics for some members of the Seattle City Council and for other people in the U.S. As a result, some people may not know how to recognize caste-based discrimination when it occurs in workplaces and in other institutions. This ordinance to ban caste-based discrimination will also raise much-needed awareness about caste and caste-based discrimination.
Caste is a civil rights issue and a workers' rights issue. With so many tech workers based in Seattle, it is important that tech companies in Seattle know that caste discrimination will not be condoned. This is why we urge the Seattle City Council to address this urgent humanitarian need and to vote YES to ban caste discrimination in Seattle. By banning caste-based discrimination, Seattle will lead the way for other cities and jurisdictions in the U.S. to do the same, thus making our communities more inclusive for everyone.