AAPI Politics Briefing: The debate over caste

The state’s Civil Rights Act prevents discrimination based on a range of protected categories, and makes sure that everyone is “entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever.” 

Other protected categories include sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, and primary language, to name a few.

Though the initial legislation was written to designate caste as a protected status on its own, some Asian American assemblymembers later worked with Wahab to revise the language so that it was designated under ancestry—part of a bid to address concerns around the possibility of racial profiling.

“This has been months of concern and stress that we’ve been carrying about the impact that this would have on the civil rights of all South Asians regardless of background, and we’re glad the governor saw the problems with it,” Hindu American Foundation Executive Director Suhag Shukla told New York Times’ Amy Qin.

The system of social hierarchy is most prevalent in South Asian communities and ranks individuals in four main classes, with Dalits occupying the lowest stratum as “untouchables.”

Proponents of Seattle’s bill had said the city’s preexisting civil rights laws—which bar discrimination “based on characteristics like race, religion, national origin, or ancestry”—weren’t enough to protect lower-caste individuals. 

It’s part of a growing push to address caste at the state level as well as in academic institutions. 

“We made history conducting the first statewide advocacy days, caravans, and hunger strike for caste equity,” Equality Labs Executive Director Thenmozhi Soundararajan said in a statement following Newsom’s veto.

“A testament to our organizing is in Newsom’s veto where he acknowledges that caste is currently covered,” Soundararajan added. “So while we wipe our tears and grieve, know that we are not defeated.”

While the stopgap does not withdraw federal services from COFA states, it also does not renew them. The deadline to renew funding for the Marshall Islands and Micronesia was Sept. 30, and uncertainty persists around whether the U.S. will continue to provide sufficient military and economic assistance.

Why it matters: The Indo-Pacific has long been an area of strategic interest for the U.S. despite Western powers’ longtime neglect. As remaining COFA funding dwindles, foreign policy experts warn that the region may become vulnerable to Chinese influence and attempts to discredit the U.S. government’s reliability, Reuters’ David Brunnstrom writes. 

The Biden administration previously voiced support for legislation that would restore federal benefits to COFA migrants who legally reside, work, and study in the U.S. in a bid to strengthen ties. Congressional approval is pending.

Hawai‘i Circuit Court Judge Shanlyn Park would be the first Native Hawaiian woman to serve as a federal judge if confirmed. Recommended by Hawai‘i Sens. Mazie Hirono (D) and Brian Schatz (D), Park has the support of several organizations including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Native American Rights Fund, and the Native Hawaiian Bar Association.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mustafa Taher Kasubhai is seeking lifetime tenure as a district court judge in Oregon. The son of Indian immigrants, Kasubhai is Muslim American and was repeatedly pressed by GOP senators on his DEI views.

The report emphasizes the threat Chinese campaigns pose to U.S. national security and the importance of understanding the implications of China’s growing influence. Beijing has since pushed back against the report, claiming it’s untrue.  

Filipino American History Month was first established by the Filipino American National Historical Society in 1992. Congress followed in 2009 when it designated October as Filipino American History Month to reflect the arrival of the first Filipinos in America on Oct. 18, 1587. 

The stats: California has the largest Filipino population in the U.S., with over 1.2 million of the roughly 2.9 million Filipinos across the entire nation. Filipino farmworkers, nurses, and garment workers played leading roles in the fight for labor rights in the state.

Meanwhile: With over 213,000 Filipinos in 2021, Hawai‘i has the second-largest population. Filipino contract laborers first arrived on Hawaiian sugar plantations in 1906; the community has since grown steadily via immigration.

Still: The Sikh Coalition, Hindus for Human Rights, and other civil rights groups warned that the bipartisan caucus lacks representation from non-Hindu minority groups and poses the danger of being “a vehicle for Hindu nationalist policies that will inevitably harm the entire South Asian American community,” NBC Asian America’s Sakshi Venkatraman reports.

Of note: Thanedar escorted the controversial Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi—whose policies have faced criticism for allegedly discriminating against Muslim and other non-Hindu Indians—when he visited the U.S. in June. Thanedar later said in an interview that he was “very proud of PM Modi.”

In recent years, the U.S. has seen a rise in Hindu nationalist sentiment among Indian diaspora communities alongside efforts to protect diaspora members of minority religions, Nitish Pahwa notes for Slate. 

How they responded: “While there have been comprehensive efforts to address the alarming increase in anti-Asian hate crimes since the coronavirus pandemic began, like the enactment of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the findings in this report show that more must be done to ensure this law is fully implemented and the civil rights of AANHPIs are fully protected,” Rep. Judy Chu (D-California), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said in a statement applauding the report's release.

Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) also drew attention to a racist attack against a 14-year-old Asian American canvasser in her state this past week. A woman allegedly punched the boy and made racially charged insults, but police reportedly said they could do nothing because the injuries were not serious enough. The incident has spurred demands for a local hate crime unit, reports The Island 360’s Karina Kovac.

Kim made a surprise announcement to join the race two weeks ago after Menedrez refused to step down despite facing bribery and fraud charges. Federal investigators found over $480,000 in cash as well as gold bars and luxury items in Menendez’s home, which they allege were bribes for assisting three New Jersey businessmen and the Egyptian government.

Kim told POLITICO’s Brakkton Booker last Tuesday that he has already raised roughly $1 million for the race—though he’ll likely have to fend off high-powered candidates like New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, who served as the finance chair for her husband Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) 2021 re-election campaign.

San Francisco’s Chinese American political representation peaked in the 2010s, with Ting and City Attorney David Chiu (D) elected to San Francisco’s two Assembly seats and several Chinese Americans on the Board of Supervisors. But today only one supervisor and one assemblymember are Chinese American, Han Li of San Francisco Standard points out.

Lee, who previously lost three campaigns to join the Board of Supervisors, has served as executive director of the outreach organization Chinese American Voters Education Committee since 1993. He previously taught political science at San Francisco State University and currently works at the Asian Pacific American Student Success program at Laney College in Oakland.

While a spokesperson for Stefani described Lee as a “political novice,” Ting swiftly announced his endorsement. “We really need to have someone that understands our community, has been in the community, has served our community,” he told the Standard.