Caste in America: Mothers Like Me are Excluded From Indian Parent Networks Because I am a Dalit

I am Maya Kamble of Ambedkar Association of North America. We are civil rights advocates from caste-oppressed Buddhist families here in the United States who strive to uplift the marginalized in India through education and health advocacy. We are one of the largest and oldest organizations in the movements for socially engaged Buddhism in India and the U.S.. Our commitment to Dhamma is very simple: We must free ourselves from the suffering of caste. Caste is the greatest suffering that communities in India have endured for thousands of years. That is why I am joining my colleagues from around the nation to work with Council Member Kshama Sawant to add caste to the city’s non-discrimination clause.

The time for us to be free of the suffering of caste is now.

As an Ambedkarite Buddhist feminist, I know how rare it is to hear a voice like mine in a public forum. Ambedkarite mothers like me are often excluded by dominant caste families from parent networks because we are Buddhist. Dominant-caste colleagues at work also excluded me when I told them I was not Hindu; they knew I was caste oppressed and from then on, they removed me from professional and social events. 

Caste has affected my life in all of the tech jobs I have had, including now at Amazon. Once, at another tech company, my Indian manager pointedly ignored my suggestions in meetings and behaved as if I had never spoken. After many unsuccessful attempts to be heard, my non-Indian colleagues started to notice my exclusion and began to back me up. My manager grew increasingly frustrated and warned me not to touch one of the tools we were working on because I was “ill-fated.” I flinched because this was a direct reference to my being a woman from a Dalit caste.

I left to find another job and have enjoyed a successful career – as long as I avoid working under a dominant caste Indian manager and continue to hide my caste identity.

I left to find another job and have enjoyed a successful career – as long as I avoid working under a dominant caste Indian manager and continue to hide my caste identity.

 My story is just one of the thousands. In 2016, Equality Labs surveyed the effects of caste in the US. One in four Dalits who participated in the survey said they faced physical and verbal assault due to their caste. A whopping 67 percent of Dalits surveyed reported being treated unfairly at work because of their caste. The recognition of caste as a protected category in Seattle would help ensure that caste-oppressed women in tech and at work have access to the same opportunities as everyone else. 

Caste protections would help ensure that the caste oppressed are not subjected to discrimination, harassment, or violence based on their caste. Additionally, recognizing caste as a protected category would create more job security for Dalit women by making it illegal to terminate, refuse to hire, or deny a promotion to someone based on their caste. Finally, it would create a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture, which would help caste-oppressed women and other members of the lowest castes feel safe in the workplace.

Recognizing caste as a protected category would also help promote Dhamma and its teachings. Gautam Buddha questioned caste hierarchy and taught that all beings are equal, regardless of their birth, and that we should strive for a world without discrimination based on caste. This vision is why Dr. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism on October 14, 1956, along with more than 500,000 of his followers in Nagpur, India. Buddha’s meditation and his ideas of peace and compassion are helping us heal from the intergenerational traumas of caste oppression. This work can help us build the interfaith and inter-caste foundation we need to eliminate this evil once and for all once and for all.

It is my hope that Seattle will take a stand against caste discrimination and recognize caste as a protected category so that everyone can benefit from the power of Dhamma in creating a more just and equitable society.

(Representative image at the top, courtesy ourlegendaryladies.com)

---

Maya Kamble is an organizer, mother, and socially engaged Buddhist. A developer at Amazon she has over 20 years of experience working in American tech companies. She has committed her life to moving Ambedkar’s work to annihilate caste and works with the Ambedkar Association of North America to achieve those goals.