Seattle council to vote on law banning caste discrimination

'Caste discrimination is a very serious issue in the United States,' says Kshama Sawant, who introduced the anti-discrimination measure [File: David Ryder/Reuters]

A councillor in Seattle has taken a historic step in the fight against caste-based discrimination by proposing the first-ever legislation in the United States to directly outlaw the practice.

Kshama Sawant, Seattle’s only Indian-American city councillor, said in proposing the legislation last month that South Asian Americans face caste discrimination in employment, education and housing. She wants to expand the city’s existing anti-discrimination policy to protect those targeted because of their caste.