Rutgers University is taking a significant step toward unleashing the potential of the caste-oppressed community

PRESS RELEASE
 The Office of Labor Relations at Rutgers University is taking a significant step toward unleashing the potential of the caste-oppressed community

For Immediate Release
Ambedkar King Study Circle – Jan 16, 2025
Email: ec@akscusa.org | Phone: +1-831-200-3282

The following statement, written by Ambedkar King Study Circle, California, is released with the support of all the members of the Savera coalition.

The Office of Labor Relations at Rutgers University is taking a significant step toward unleashing the potential of the caste-oppressed community

Rutgers’ statement asserts four key points: 

  • the university policy addresses caste-based discrimination, 
  • the Office of Employment Equity will train specialists on caste discrimination, 
  • caste-related questions will be included in regular campus surveys, and 
  • staff training on caste issues will be implemented

Unlike the Cisco case, where HR claimed caste discrimination was not unlawful, Rutgers has taken a clear stance with its policy. For too long, caste-based discrimination—manifesting as exclusion and denial of opportunities—has flown under the radar in the U.S., as the dominant caste has controlled the narrative in positions of power and through massive disinformation campaigns.

Rutgers’ commitment to including caste in campus surveys and providing staff training is a welcome and encouraging move for the caste-oppressed. Often, those affected by caste discrimination struggle to reach their full potential due to microaggressions and reminders of their social position—whether through verbal or non-verbal means, as seen in the Cisco case, where a victim was expected to behave in a specific way by so-called upper-caste managers.

These policies aim not just to address discrimination after it happens but to prevent it by making caste discrimination explicitly unacceptable. Anti-caste organizations, including those within the Savera coalition, are eager to collaborate with Rutgers students and staff to create a more inclusive, productive, and caste-free environment.

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