Fresno, California, has become the second city in the U.S. to ban caste discrimination, after the City Council voted unanimously on Thursday to incorporate two new protected categories into its municipal code.
Discrimination based on caste or indigeneity is now illegal in the city.
In the midst of a nationwide civil rights movement, led mostly by South Asian Americans who come from caste-oppressed backgrounds, local governments, business and institutions have been contending with the caste question. In February, Seattle became the first U.S. city to explicitly ban caste discrimination, and in California, a bill currently on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk would do the same statewide.
Additionally, Fresno is home to a large Asian-American population, particularly Hmong. Fresno was a primary destination for Hmong immigrants after they fled from Laos following the Vietnam war.
It makes sense to me that Fresno would pass this law, it probably impacts more people than we would care to admit.