A leading university system in the United States has announced the addition of caste as a protected category, a move that has been welcomed by several advocacy groups fighting against caste-based discrimination in that country.
California State University System, which has more than 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, announced the addition to its list this month.
“All of California State University aspires to uphold the values of inclusive excellence by creating an environment where all of our talented and diverse students and employees are welcomed and encouraged to succeed,” said Joseph I Castro, Chancellor of California. State University.
“I salute the incredible work and dedication of students, employees and other partners whose efforts ensure that our policies align with our bold aspirations,” Castro said.
California State University is the largest public four-year university system in the United States. Adding caste as a protected category ensures that CSU’s 23 campuses can be a place of access and equity for all students, Equality Lab said.
We commend the CSU system for making history by supporting the rights of caste-oppressed students, staff, and faculty with a policy that ensures fair and safe caste for all. We look forward to working with the CSU system to help implement this historic victory, he said in a statement.
This victory in obtaining caste protections is, although long overdue, also very historic. It’s not just the end result that’s historic, but the process itself, said San Francisco State University student and lead organizer Manmit Singh.
Professor Sarah Taylor, Chair of the Department of Social Work, CSU East Bay, said adding caste to the mission statement of Cal State East Bay’s Department of Social Work was incredibly personal for their teachers.
“One of our students brought caste discrimination to our attention as not something that happens far away, but something that is dealt with daily by some of our students in their personal lives. We want to honor their lived experiences and advocate against caste discrimination, he said.
Describing this as a historic victory, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Executive Director of Equality Labs, said that due to the tireless efforts of the student-led interfaith and inter-caste initiative, they now have 23 new campuses joining the movement. civil rights to protect the caste oppressed. Americans.
“We are very proud of the leadership of the students, faculty, and staff at CSU who worked to make this happen. We would also like to thank the California Teachers Association, led by the Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans Caucus ( APIDA), who worked to add caste as part of their contract negotiations, she said.
(Only the title and image of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear reader,
Business Standard has always endeavored to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that matter to you and that have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your constant encouragement and feedback on how to improve our offering has only strengthened our resolve and commitment to these ideals. Even in these challenging times stemming from Covid-19, we remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative opinions and incisive commentary on relevant topical issues.
However, we have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more so that we can continue to bring you more great content. Our subscription model has received an encouraging response from many of you who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of bringing you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practice the journalism we are committed to.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
digital editor
