The Opponents of California Caste Bill SB403 Stand for Civil Rights - Including Their Own.                                                                                                              

The supporters of SB 403 are backing it under the guise of a civil rights bill, and naturally, no one wants to infringe upon civil rights. However, the opposition to SB 403 isn’t about denying civil rights. The opposition arises from concerns about the bill’s handling and its rushed progression, bypassing proper procedures and ignoring evident flaws. 

When organizations like California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) and the American Bar Association (ABA) get entangled in contentious lawsuits like Cisco and support legislation like SB403 that foster such lawsuits, they risk becoming part of the problem rather than protectors of civil rights. Overlooking the clear conflict of interest of one of the bill’s sponsors, a known Hindu phobic (as shown by Thenmozhi Soundararajan in multiple situations), for-profit organization, Equality Lab, doesn’t empower the marginalized. Instead, it potentially exacerbates their situation by appearing hypocritical, seemingly using caste as a means of self-gain while criminalizing it for others. 

The opponents of the bill aren’t against anyone’s civil rights; they’re against the exploitation of their issues for profit. They prefer their trusted scholars with an insider perspective to educate everyone about the truth and root cause of this colonial trope that hinders their progress. They seek a solution, not politicization. They want to focus on rectifying the wrongs as a community when necessary. They want this fight to be about resolving the issue, not perpetuating it for someone else’s gain. 

 ‘John Doe’ of Cisco Caste Case Not Happy With Another Dalit Getting the Promotion!

If this is truly about eradicating discrimination, John Doe in the Cisco case should have been happy that another “Dalit” got promoted and now the two of them could help yet another one of their brothers to overcome unfavorable circumstances.

If this is genuinely about the violation of civil rights, why don’t the supporters of caste legislation, including state/government entities, adopt a more constructive approach and impartially uphold civic duty and responsible governance? Why not work on dissolving “caste consciousness” instead of introducing potentially harmful bills? Why not identify key problem areas and difficulties faced by those who have had such unfortunate experiences and offer practical solutions such as providing no-cost counseling, arranging tutoring/coaching, career counseling programs, and establishing scholarships, among others? Prominent leaders of this movement like public intellectual Yengde of Harvard University, Dalit Diva of Equality Labs, and American author Wilkerson are more than capable of sponsoring such constructive solutions if they so desire. 

Why not engage in meaningful dialog? Create awareness instead of criminalizing it. Recognize that current methods are not working. Cultivate empathy,  not guilt. Insist on micro validation. It is important for everyone to course correct. Civil rights & social justice movements should unite, not divide.